heat gets Judge Rinder to spill the celebrity beans
Everyone’s favourite judge talks sequins, spray tans and six-packs with Jordan Paramor
L ast time we interviewed Robert “Judge” R inder, it was late on a Friday afternoon and it involved wine, gossip and his lovely mum, Angela. Sadly there’s no mum or wine this time, but our stint with the most well-connected man in showbiz – he boasts Benedict Cumberbatch as a best mate and seems to be on every celeb’s speed dial list – is still every bit as entertaining.
The 40 year old is incredibly witty, but also friendly, and is great at holding court (pun intended) at our photo shoot. He swapped his gavel for the ballroom when he came fifth on Strictly back in 2016, and now the London native has gone back to his roots for the latest series of Who Do You Think You Are?
Of course, we want to get the lowdown on that, but there’s so much more to cover, from Love Island to spray tans and his superstar BFF. All rise…
As a judge, do your friends ever enlist your help in sorting out their arguments?
My close friends, yes. I think that’s
important. I don’t issue judgement on them, though. Good friends always help each other. I think you’re a bad friend if you’re never asked for your opinion.
Have you ever used your gown and gavel for another purpose?
No, sadly not. I’m not sure why.
So you don’t use your gavel to hammer in a nail or crack an egg?
[Laughs.] Erm, no. I do like a boiled egg, but I think it might be a bit much.
How do you feel about the comparisons with Jamie Laing?
Oh yes, apparently we look alike. Someone showed me a picture and I was enormously flattered. Is he the custard cream heir?
Something like that [Jamie’s family own Mcvitie’s]. Have you heard about Romesh Ranganathan’s new show, Judge Romesh?
I have. He is so funny. We did Room
101 together and you know when someone has funny in their bones? He could read out the dictionary and have you in stitches. As far as I know, he’s not resolving disputes from a legal point of view, so it’s a totally different thing. I genuinely wish him the best of luck. He is hilarious.
How was it filming Who Do You Think You Are?
It’s hard to articulate. It was the most ridiculous privilege, especially given the story that we ended up telling. It’s such a sick-bucket saying, but I went on a real journey that was so important for my family. My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and he was given the gift of being able to come to this country. Despite the horrific things he went through, he was still determined to see the universe as good. I came out at the end of the show feeling optimistic, which was amazing.
Do you miss doing Strictly, and do you still dance?
I do miss it and I have real pangs of wanting to dance again. It was the best laugh ever. I wasn’t good, but I had an amazing teacher [He was coupled with Oksana Platero]. There’s only so much turd polishing you can do, but I enjoyed myself.
Did you get to keep any of the outfits?
Yes! I kept my trousers from the jive, because my auntie said my bottom looked good in them. Sadly, I have no style, so all I needed was that compliment to make those green Zara trousers my go-to when I have
‘I won’t be eating kangaroo bollocks any time soon’
anything to attend. I’ve also got a spangly shirt somewhere.
Did you have spray tans on the show?
I did. I was nervous about it, because when I was in my twenties I went on holiday to the Caribbean and someone suggested that I should put carrot oil on. I came back orange. I struggled really badly with my weight back then and there were photos of me with a bright orange face with my white wig on and it was horrific. I genuinely looked like an Oompa Loompa. My tan was much better on Strictly.
It’s hard to believe you struggled with your weight after seeing your amazing six-pack on Strictly…
I got fit in my late twenties and that was very much connected to my mental health and the positive impact it had on it. I started out by going to a gym and then I signed up to do a marathon and now I go to Barry’s Bootcamp every day. People think it’s full of celebs – Beckham goes there and you see Harry Styles around, but that’s by the by. Everyone’s just there to do their
workout. I go to a class early every morning and it sets me up for the day. The six-pack has gone a bit wobbly recently, but it’s still there, ish, but that’s genuinely incidental to that fact that by 9.30am I’ve got that endorphin rush.
Beckham and Styles? We’re sold. Would you like to be heat’s Torso Of The Week?
How does one get to be Torso Of The Week? Do you have to apply? I’m not going to send my own pictures in.
Fair enough. How do you find being famous?
There are the most incredible amounts of privileges, like free dance lessons and people being endlessly kind to you. You can be having the most monstrous day and people are nice to you and it changes. That’s why I feel very strongly about so-called celebrities who refuse to take selfies. They need to pull themselves together at once. By virtue of being you, you get to improve someone’s day – and that is a wonderful thing.
Did you watch Love Island this year?
I tried, but I’m just not cool enough. I heard someone call someone else “bae” and I genuinely thought they were going out with someone who works for British Aerospace [it’s abbreviated as BAE]. I’m not even joking. I did see Dani Dyer briefly and I thought what a well-adjusted, nice, well-brought-up person she is. I’ve met Danny Dyer a couple of times and I would be really proud if she were my daughter.
Would you go on Love Island if they did a celeb version?
Do me a favour. No. Nor will you see me eating a kangaroo bollock anytime soon. Even though we’re fully aware that you don’t like talking about him, can we try to get you to chat about Benedict Cumberbatch more than in our last interview? [Laughs.] I think it’s really important… Look, when you’re out in the public eye, you’re in the public eye, but in the space of friendship it’s private. Not because you do anything interesting. I mean, the truth of the matter is… Hello, you’ve met me! I’m not the cool friend. You can be sure of that. So, you’re not dancing around his house in your spangly shirt? [Shakes his head.] The reason I don’t share those things is because there needs to be some privacy, which isn’t about not wanting to share, but about the quality of our friendship, so that what we have together is never vetted in any way. It takes a long time to be friends. But it’s perfectly reasonable to ask about it, because it’s in the public domain.
Hell, we gave it a go. There are rumours you may do a cameo on Emmerdale. Is that true?
This is brilliant, because it’s a Benedict story, so you’ve got something. I was at uni with Ben and he did a play with Louisa Clein, who is now in Emmerdale [she plays Maya]. We’re super-close, and I fell in love with her sister Natalie when I was 16. She’s a very famous cellist and, to this day, she’s the only girl that’s made me blush. Anyway, Louisa made a joke about me appearing in Emmerdale with her and people picked up on it. But no, you won’t find me in the Woolpack anytime soon.
You got very excited when you met Baby Spice during a radio interview. Who else have you been star-struck by?
Oh, I was such a Spice Girls fan and Baby was the one I always aspired to be. The only other person I’ve been star-struck by is Andi Peters, because he presented CBBC when I was growing up and therefore he’s a superstar. I’ve met really famous film stars and heads of state, but Andi Peters is the only human I’ve gone, “Oh my God,” when we were introduced. I also had to phone my brother to tell him when I met Su Pollard on It Takes Two a few years ago. She’s a legend.