He posted photos of the emotional reunion holding the tearful refugees
(Picture: RoRinder/Instagram)Judge Robert Rinder has managed to get urgent medical supplies to his ex-Strictly partner Oksana Platero’s grandparents in Ukraine after promising to find them.
The TV judge, 43, managed to connect with his Strictly partner’s fleeing family after he expressed his hope of finding them on his travels to the border with talkRadio.
He has been documenting his lengthy journey on Instagram and he posted photos of the emotional reunion holding the tearful refugees who fled Russian shelling to make it to Poland.
On Wednesday, Rinder wrote: “Oksana’s family: Auntie Lidya and Grandma Zoya. We managed to reach them this morning with a wheelchair & some medical supplies.. Despite having nearly nothing.. they are ‘grateful for everything’.”
His post sparked floods of supportive messages from a host of celebrities and fans.
Presenter Gaby Roslin wrote: “This is heartbreaking but you bring hope and spread kindness. You are an inspiration my darling friend.”
Fellow Strictly 2016 star Daisy Lowe wrote “absolutely incredible” coupled with multiple red heart emojis.
Rinder also revealed he had been struggling to get the family back to the UK after being told trying to British embassy in Krakow was closed
He posted: “The British consulate in Krakow is closed ‘due to the pandemic.’ Though 130 miles away by road, it’s the nearest major city to the border.”
The TV judge shared images of the family’s dog Tesla with the quote: “He brings us so much love that we forget the bad things”.
Judge Rinder and Platero developed a special bond after they competed on Strictly Come Dancing together in 2016.
He had hailed Platero’s grandmother as “resolute and strong”.
He added: “Oksana’s grandma is 95. She spent a week fleeing Russian shelling & FINALLY crossed the Polish border with no wheelchair, food or medical supplies but she is resolute & strong. She remembers the last war & knows that ‘ultimately they will return home and Tyranny will fail.’”
Rinder posted about his travels to refugee centres, telling stories of fleeing families and urged the Government to intervene on the humanitarian crisis.
Ahead of the Platero reunion, he told The Standard: “Hopefully they’re going to cross the Polish border before I arrive... Hopefully we’ll find a home for them, and money has already been raised for them.”
He added: “I’m reporting on the situation at the Polish-Ukrainian border, not least so that people in our country understand just how difficult it is for people to apply to get sanctuary in the UK.
“We’re looking at the range of difficulties there are and to get a sense of what the literal barriers to entry are. How serious are we about giving sanctuary?”
