Strictly star Dr Ranj has revealed the pressure of coming out as gay meant he considered suicide.
The resident doctor on ITV’s This Morning only spoke to his family about his sexuality during last year’s series of Strictly.
That was 10 years after he came out and, at the height of his anxiety, he feared he would be rejected. But in the end he says he would not have made it through dark times without them.
Dr Ranj, 40, who has been married to a woman, said: “Ten years ago my life changed dramatically.
"I came out of a straight relationship and started to accept who I actually was...
“I was truly broken. I felt like I was a really bad, horrible person just for being true to myself.
In times like that, you have really dark thoughts and I did have times when I thought it would be easier not to be here.”
But he added: “It was only because of the kindness and grace of my friends and family, and the LGBT+ family that I was able to put myself together again.”
Dr Ranj, real name Ranjit Singh, said he only had the courage to speak to his family about being gay when he appeared in the BBC dance contest.
He said: “I never thought my family would be as accepting as they are,” and added that they had been “the most loving and supportive people I know”.
The star also recently revealed how he encountered homophobic prejudice in the NHS.
The This Morning doc came out as gay several years ago, after previously being married to a woman in his early 20s.
The 39-year-old said: “The media industry is much more accepting, but I feel like the medical world has a little further to go.
“It’s a bit ironic that the caring profession could ever be prejudiced, but it does happen.
“People like myself and so many others are here to change that, though.”
