Ranvir Singh says she is looking forward to exploring the human interest side of stories while hosting ITV’s Lorraine.
The television presenter and journalist, who is Good Morning Britain’s political editor, will be taking over from regular host Lorraine Kelly from July 19 to July 30.
Singh, 43, said: “I’m in a nice warm studio for once!
“It’s great to get under the skin of the people you are interviewing.
“You’ve got a bit more time and because there’s just one of you doing the interview, you’re able to follow your own trail of thought and where my personal interest lies in that particular person’s story.
“It just means that you have a bit more freedom in a way to have that conversation that you find particularly poignant or interesting and can bring a bit more of myself into.”
She explained that GMB is full of big personalities but that the programme was still dictated by the news of the day.
“Whereas in Lorraine there’s a lot more human interest and it’s about other parts of me that I can bring out, which I can’t really bring out when I’m standing at Westminster,” Singh said.
She added: “What I love about doing the show is, because I’m so used to doing such a lot of hard news and politics – and of course Lorraine covers all of the hard stories as well – but it’s a chance for a lighter touch.
“Just to be able to speak to guests about what’s going on in their lives, as opposed to always looking for a headline.
“I just really enjoy that, spending time talking to people in a way that you can’t in three-minute interviews. It’s just a real thrill for me!”
Singh previously took over the hosting slot back in April and last December as Kelly took an Easter and Christmas break.
She said it was a “privilege” to work on the show as she is a “massive fan of Lorraine”, and that the regular host and team are very supportive of her.
In 2020, she was also a contestant on the 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing, and was partnered with Giovanni Pernice.
The pair reached the semi-final.
When asked if Pernice might make an appearance during her hosting stint, she said: “I’ve made lots of suggestions to the team about what I’d love to talk about and they want me to be involved in the guests we have on, but I’m going to keep it top secret until it’s all confirmed!”
Lorraine airs on weekdays from 9am on ITV and ITV Hub.
