| Rav Wilding | |
| Birth Name: | Ravin Mika Wilding |
| Birth Date: | 1977 10, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Canterbury, Kent, England |
| Nationality: | British |
| Known For: | Crimewatch |
| Education: | Fulston Manor School |
| Occupation: | Soldier, police officer, television presenter |
Ravin Mika Wilding[1] (born 16 October 1977) is a British television presenter and former police officer who served with the British Transport Police and Metropolitan Police Service.
Prior to joining the police, Wilding served in the British Army and worked as a security guard at Harrods department store in London. He is best known for his role as a presenter on the BBC TV show Crimewatch.
In January 2021, it was announced by Chief Superintendent Martin Fry that Wilding had joined British Transport Police as a detective.[2] Yet, according to his LinkedIn profile, Wilding ended his service with the British Transport Police shortly after in March 2021.[3]
Wilding had to go through numerous interviews and auditions as well as formal television presenter training. Having also auditioned for Blue Peter, he was offered a part on BBC Crimewatch, which he has appeared on since June 2004.[4] After taking a period of unpaid leave, Wilding resigned from the police force in February 2008 to concentrate on TV work.
Wilding is a regular reporter on crime issues for BBC One's The One Show. Since 21 April 2008, Wilding has co-presented a new programme called Missing Live,[5] shown every weekday morning on BBC One.[6] In August 2008, he hosted the twenty-episode fly-on-the-wall series following the lives of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Helicopter Heroes on BBC One.[7] He has also fronted two series of the daily live show Crimewatch Roadshow for BBC One and will present the third series in June 2011.[8]
In January 2008, he won a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link and Ready Steady Cook. On 29 December 2008, Wilding appeared on Celebrity Mastermind.[9] His specialist subject was The Human Body. He came last with only fifteen points. In 2011 he took a role on CBBC as co-presenter and dunk tester for Dave Benson Phillips in the remake of Get Your Own Back.
In August 2009, Wilding was revealed as one of the contestants in Strictly Come Dancing and was partnered with Aliona Vilani.[10] Wilding was made fourth favourite by bookmakers behind former boxer Joe Calzaghe and actor Ricky Whittle,[11] however he became the third celebrity to be eliminated on the show after failing to be saved in the dance-off, on 3 October 2009.
In September 2010, Wilding went to the front line of British Military operations in Afghanistan filming a series for BBC called Remembrance Week. Whilst filming he witnessed a bomb blast that killed one of the serving soldiers with the unit he was filming (the Second Battalion the Duke of Lancasters Regiment) The Lions of England. The series focused on both past and present conflicts.[12]
On 15 December 2011, Kirsty Young, Wilding's Crimewatch co-host, announced that this would be his last show. Since June 2009, Wilding has presented the accompanying series, Crimewatch Roadshow, every morning live on BBC1.[13] Series 4 aired in June/July 2012.
He took part in an episode of Tipping Point: Lucky Stars on ITV, in which he set the record for the most counters dropped in a single go in any episode of Tipping Point, sinking 23 counters (for a total of £2,300).[14]
He appeared on Season 5 on Hacker Time.[15]
Wilding was in a relationship with English television personality and glamour model Chantelle Houghton. The couple separated in 2011.[16] Wilding began a relationship with Loose Womens producer Jill Morgan in 2012. The couple married in 2017, and have a daughter who was born in 2020.[17] By early 2024 they had parted.[18]
Later during 2024, Wilding was in a relationship with television co-presenter, former police officer Rebecca Mason.[19]
Wilding revealed on Morning Live that he is dyslexic, dyspraxic and also had been diagnosed by Simon Baron-Cohen as autistic in a film broadcast on the subject.[20]