Rav Wilding
Encyclopedia
Rav Wilding is an English
television presenter, former security guard
at Harrods
, former soldier and former police officer
who, since June 2004, has been a presenter on Crimewatch
.
, Kent
, Wilding is the second of five children born to a Mauritian
father and an English mother who were both nurses. He attended Fulston Manor School in Sittingbourne
, Kent.
at seventeen. Due to his stature and physical fitness he was selected to undertake parachute
training, but a broken leg sustained on a training run cut short a career in the Parachute Regiment. After four years he left after medical staff advised him that it would be highly unlikely that his leg would ever be back to full fitness.
On leaving the army in 1999, Wilding started working at Harrods
in Knightsbridge
as part of the security team. After approximately nine months at Harrods, Wilding's application to join the Metropolitan Police Service
was accepted and he started training school. Wilding joined the Service at the start of 2000 and was posted to Peckham
in South London
. While based at Peckham in Southwark
, he was involved in the high profile police investigation surrounding the death of Damilola Taylor. Wilding was part of a specialist unit specifically created in the aftermath of the murder where he worked on the tough North Peckham Estate where Taylor was killed.
After two years as a policeman he responded to an advert for people to partake in a jungle adventure, to live for three months in an Australia
n rain forest for a new television programme on Channel 4
called Eden
. After numerous auditions and around 50,000 applicants Wilding was picked for the programme and flew out to New South Wales
.
After three months in the jungle, Wilding returned to Britain and went back to work in the police but this time in to the CID
. Working within CID, Wilding was posted to units focusing on robbery, burglary and major investigations as well as a long spell working on a Sapphire unit dealing with rape and sexual assault allegations. He was quickly selected for Detective training and became a Detective Constable
for the last six years of his service. Wilding worked on many high profile cases, appearing regularly at the Old Bailey
.
, he was offered a part on BBC
Crimewatch
, which he has appeared on since 2004. 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, shown every weekday morning on BBC One. 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. 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.
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
. 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
. Wilding was made fourth favourite by bookmakers behind former boxer Joe Calzaghe
and actor Ricky Whittle
, 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.
He appeared several times on Big Brother
spin off show Big Brother's Little Brother in 2010.
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.
Since February 2011, Wilding has been a host of the CBBC
show Cop School, educating the youth on how to be a police officer.
In March 2011, he presented the BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary series Neighbourhood Blues which focuses on how the police help communities and how they fight crime.
In August 2011 Wilding hosted a Crimewatch special on the riots in England.
On 1 November 2011 Wilding won ITV's 71 Degrees North
.
He also appeared in an episode of The Real Hustle
.
to air hostess and former girlfriend of footballer Rio Ferdinand
, Lauren Alcorn. The couple broke up in December 2009.
In December 2010, it was confirmed that Wilding was dating reality television star, Chantelle Houghton
. The couple met through a mutual friend, Dominic Littlewood
, in October 2010. In April 2011, Wilding announced that his relationship with Houghton was over.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
television presenter, former security guard
Security guard
A security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
at Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
, former soldier and former police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
who, since June 2004, has been a presenter on Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
.
Early life and education
Born in CanterburyCanterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, Wilding is the second of five children born to a Mauritian
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
father and an English mother who were both nurses. He attended Fulston Manor School in Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
, Kent.
Military and police career
After secondary school he took an apprenticeship in construction before joining the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
at seventeen. Due to his stature and physical fitness he was selected to undertake parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
training, but a broken leg sustained on a training run cut short a career in the Parachute Regiment. After four years he left after medical staff advised him that it would be highly unlikely that his leg would ever be back to full fitness.
On leaving the army in 1999, Wilding started working at Harrods
Harrods
Harrods is an upmarket department store located in Brompton Road in Brompton, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. The Harrods brand also applies to other enterprises undertaken by the Harrods group of companies including Harrods Bank, Harrods Estates, Harrods Aviation and Air...
in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
as part of the security team. After approximately nine months at Harrods, Wilding's application to join the Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
was accepted and he started training school. Wilding joined the Service at the start of 2000 and was posted to Peckham
Peckham
Peckham is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Southwark. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
. While based at Peckham in Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
, he was involved in the high profile police investigation surrounding the death of Damilola Taylor. Wilding was part of a specialist unit specifically created in the aftermath of the murder where he worked on the tough North Peckham Estate where Taylor was killed.
After two years as a policeman he responded to an advert for people to partake in a jungle adventure, to live for three months in an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rain forest for a new television programme on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
called Eden
Eden (TV series)
Eden was a Channel 4 reality TV series broadcast in spring 2002.The contestants who were all under 30 had to survive in a remote area of the Australian jungle.Their numbers were augmented each week by a newcomer selected by the viewers...
. After numerous auditions and around 50,000 applicants Wilding was picked for the programme and flew out to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
After three months in the jungle, Wilding returned to Britain and went back to work in the police but this time in to the CID
Criminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
. Working within CID, Wilding was posted to units focusing on robbery, burglary and major investigations as well as a long spell working on a Sapphire unit dealing with rape and sexual assault allegations. He was quickly selected for Detective training and became a Detective Constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
for the last six years of his service. Wilding worked on many high profile cases, appearing regularly at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
.
Television career
Wilding had to go through numerous interviews and auditions as well as formal television presenter training. Having also auditioned for Blue PeterBlue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
, he was offered a part on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
, which he has appeared on since 2004. 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
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's The One Show
The One Show
The One Show is a topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One and BBC One HD, hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker. Chris Evans joins Jones to present the programme on Friday...
. Since 21 April 2008, Wilding has co-presented a new programme called Missing Live, shown every weekday morning on BBC One. In August 2008, he hosted the twenty-episode fly-on-the-wall series following the lives of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance
Yorkshire Air Ambulance
Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a dedicated helicopter emergency service for the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It was introduced on 1 April 2000, and currently operates two aircraft. The helicopters provide a swift response time and access to isolated locations, such as beaches,...
, Helicopter Heroes on BBC One. He has also fronted two series of the daily live show Crimewatch Roadshow for BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and will present the third series in June 2011.
In January 2008, he won a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link
The Weakest Link is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and will end its run in 2012 when its host Anne Robinson ends her contract. The original British version of the show airs around the world on BBC Entertainment...
and Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
. On 29 December 2008, Wilding appeared on Celebrity Mastermind
Celebrity Mastermind
Celebrity Mastermind is a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. The show is a spin-off of the long running quiz show Mastermind, with the exception that all the contestants are celebrities. As with the main show, John Humphrys is the host and question-master...
. 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
Get Your Own Back
Get Your Own Back is a British children's game show, which ran from 26 September 1991 to 31 March 2003. It has been presented throughout by Dave Benson Phillips with the addition of Lisa Brockwell as a co-host from 2001 to the programme's end in 2003....
.
In August 2009, Wilding was revealed as one of the contestants in Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
and was partnered with Aliona Vilani
Aliona Vilani
Aliona Vilani is a Kazakh professional dancer. She describes herself as the "pussycat" of the dancing world.-Biography:Aliona started dancing ballet when she was five years old and started ballroom dancing at age 11...
. Wilding was made fourth favourite by bookmakers behind former boxer Joe Calzaghe
Joe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
and actor Ricky Whittle
Ricky Whittle
Ricky Whittle is a British actor from Oldham, Greater Manchester.-Biography:The son of former Royal Air Force serviceman Harry Whittle, Whittle grew up travelling with his father's career around the world, with a home base at Burghfield Common near Reading, Berkshire.A keen sportsman, Whittle...
, 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.
He appeared several times on Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
spin off show Big Brother's Little Brother in 2010.
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.
Since February 2011, Wilding has been a host of the CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
show Cop School, educating the youth on how to be a police officer.
In March 2011, he presented the BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary series Neighbourhood Blues which focuses on how the police help communities and how they fight crime.
In August 2011 Wilding hosted a Crimewatch special on the riots in England.
On 1 November 2011 Wilding won ITV's 71 Degrees North
71 Degrees North
71 Degrees North is a TV series on ITV which began broadcasting on 11 September 2010. 10 celebrities must battle it out to see who will make it to the 71st parallel north, with challenges along the way. Mazda formerly sponsored the show, Continental tires are the current sponsors...
.
He also appeared in an episode of The Real Hustle
The Real Hustle
The Real Hustle is a BBC television series made by Objective Productions and written by Alexis Conran and Paul Wilson. The show demonstrates confidence and magic tricks, distraction scams and proposition bets performed on members of the public by presenters Conran, Wilson and Jessica-Jane Clement...
.
Personal life
Resident in Kent, Wilding was engagedEngagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...
to air hostess and former girlfriend of footballer Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English footballer. He plays at centre back for Manchester United in the Premier League and for the England national football team...
, Lauren Alcorn. The couple broke up in December 2009.
In December 2010, it was confirmed that Wilding was dating reality television star, Chantelle Houghton
Chantelle Houghton
Chantelle Vivien Houghton is an English glamour model and television personality. She was the first 'non-celebrity' to feature in the Channel 4 reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother in 2006....
. The couple met through a mutual friend, Dominic Littlewood
Dominic Littlewood
Dominic Littlewood is an English television presenter and journalist.-Biography:Littlewood attended St Thomas More High School for Boys, Westcliff-on-Sea from 1981 to 1986. Littlewood was diagnosed as diabetic in his teenage years, and takes insulin to keep his diabetes under control...
, in October 2010. In April 2011, Wilding announced that his relationship with Houghton was over.
External links
- Rav Wilding Official website
- Presenters BBC Crimewatch