Lorraine viewers were left wondering where Ranvir Singh was this morning as an icon from children’s television stepped in to fill her shoes at the last minute

Ranvir Singh was absent from Friday’s episode of Lorraine(Image: ITV)

Lorraine viewers had a surprise this morning after a popular host failed to appear on the show, and was replaced by a children’s television icon.

Ranvir Singh, who regularly hosts the Friday show, was missing from today’s episode as presenter Andi Peters took her place. Andi, 54, told viewers that Ranvir had been forced to pull out due to health reasons. Lorraine Kelly herself has been missing from her show this week as she recovers from surgery.

He explained: “Just want to say get well soon to Ranvir who can’t be here today. That’s why they have drafted in a man with a bright orange shirt this morning. Get well soon Ranvir, we send you all of our love.”

Andi became a staple of children’s TV after first appearing on CBBC’s The Broom Cupboard in 1989, after being poached from ITV. His role, alongside a puppet called Edd the Duck, was to introduce shows and fill in the gaps between programming.

Andi Peters began his presenting career in children’s TV(Image: ITV)
READ MORE: Lorraine Kelly absent from ITV show as replacement issues health update after major surgery

He later revealed to The Telegraph that as a The Broom Cupboard presenter, succeeding Phillip Schofield and Andy Crane, he did everything himself, even switching on the lights. Andi said: “What The Broom Cupboard did was bring an intimacy between the presenter and the viewer. It was one camera, no bells and whistles, no graphics, just the presenter talking to the audience at home.”

In more recent years, he has narrated the ITV2 series The Big Reunion and appeared on the ITV daytime show Show Me the Telly.

He has also hosted competitions on Good Morning Britain, Ejector Seat, and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. Andi has also appeared as a contestant on Dancing on Ice and Celebrity MasterChef, during which he finished as runner-up.

Earlier this week, Lorraine revealed that she would be taking time off the show due to a surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes. She shared the news on Instagram but assured fans that the procedure was “purely preventative”.

It was to be done by keyhole surgery, she explained, adding: “I just wanted to let you know I’m having a wee procedure today.

“I’ve not been feeling all that well for a little while, so I had some scans and tests, and I have to have my ovaries and my tubes taken out.”

Following the operation, Lorraine shared a snap of her smiling, surrounded by healthcare workers.

She wrote: “Huge thanks to these kind, caring, gorgeous professionals who took care of me at @heatherwoodhospital – back home now and following doctors orders to rest up.”

While Lorraine has been out of action, the show has been hosted by a range of presenters, including Christine Lampard, Ranvir, and Sian Welby.