This Morning star hits back at ex-wife who slammed him for 'messy' divorce when coming out as gay

TV doctor Ranj Singh's addressal of his past marriage has gone down like a lead balloon, so much so that he's now been forced to issue a lengthy statement.

Recognisable from stints on ITV's This Morning and BBC tentpole Strictly Come Dancing, the 46-year-old seemingly perturbed his ex-wife Sulvinder Samra by weighing on coming out as gay during an interview with The Big Issue.

Samra took umbrage with the star's comments, telling the Instagram community her own version of events pertaining to their 'messy' divorce back in 2011.

This surprise back-and-forth continued via Singh's own social media channel over the weekend, where he suggested that he never wanted to 'diminish' their seven-year marriage with his publicised personal reflections.

"It's been nearly 20 years since my divorce, but recent conversations have brought me back to a time that was complicated, emotional and deeply personal," he wrote on Instagram.

"Firstly, I'm genuinely sad that this subject can still bring up pain and difficult feelings. That has never been, and would never be, my intention."

Dr. Singh went on to share with his 346,000 followers: "I've only ever spoken about it because it's a significant period of my life, when asked directly, and in the hope that it might help someone else.

"I don't do it for attention or sympathy - it was a very painful time. Out of respect, I've always been mindful of identifying or commenting on others involved, as that's not my story to tell."

His statement continued: 'In a recent interview, I was asked about my 'coming out' (a term I dislike because it implies hiding). It's a conversation I've had time and time again, and I've taken to keeping it brief because everything has already been said.

"Unfortunately, as in many cases of relationships involving a LGBTQ+ person (especially a person of colour), people still make assumptions and pass judgement. In reality, life and relationships are rarely straightforward.

"I fell in love and was married for almost 4 years in my twenties (for context, I turn 47 next month). Sadly that relationship broke down for many reasons, not to mention we were young and still working ourselves out. After it ended, therapy helped me to slowly understand what happened and who I was - a process that took years.

"I didn't grow up deliberately hiding who I was, nor did I intentionally try to mislead anyone. Like many people, I was trying to build the life I thought happiness looked like. If I'd truly known what I know now or it had been in another time, maybe it could've been different."

The qualified health practitioner highlighted how they are 'no winners' in the dissolution of relationships.

"However, I also wouldn't want to diminish what we had together: what we shared, what we meant to one another, and what we learned from each other," Singh caveated.

"It would reduce an important chapter of our lives to something negative, and that simply wouldn't be fair or true. I look back on that time, and that person, with nothing but respect, gratitude and kindness."

Many of his celebrity pals, including Laura Whitmore, Denise van Outen and Ferne McCann showed their support in the comment section.