Robert Rinder has shared the heartwarming moment he tracked down the family of his former Strictly Come Dancing partner after they fled Ukraine for Poland.
Ukrainian pro-dancer, Oksana Platova, branded the TV judge as “truly remarkable” after he made the trip to eastern Europe to help locate her family. Robert, 43, has been keeping fans updated on his quest via social media, and shared some touching shots on Wednesday of him hugging Oksana’s relatives on Twitter and Instagram.
The post read: “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’.” The British barrister revealed that he and his fixers had found the two women alongside Oksana’s grandfather - who is suffering from Parkinson’s - safe in Tuchow in south-east Poland after they had crossed Ukraine’s western border.
READ MORE: Alison Hammond forced to apologise after 'unbelievable' interruption on This Morning
Speaking to TalkRadio from Tuchow, Robert said: “They’ve welcomed us with loving arms to this tiny place that they’ve found shelter in. There are her two grandparents in one small room, Zoya and Vasiliy. Vasiliy has Parkinson’s – he’s barely able to get out of bed. Zoya greeted us all like a loving grandmother.”
He added: “It really drives into sharp focus what happens when you need to leave your home suddenly. They left without a wheelchair … without basic things required for people’s human dignity that you need if you’re disabled. They journeyed for seven days, sometimes without water, fleeing shelling to arrive here.”
Robert and Oksana reached the quarterfinals of the popular BBC entertainment show back in 2016 and have remained firm friends since.
Oksana, who was unable to make the trip herself due to work commitments in the US, responded on Instagram by writing: “I can’t say thank you enough to my wonderful SCD partner @robrinder and his team for being there for my family and so many others. You are a truly remarkable man and my love for you is limitless.”
And fellow Strictly celeb Louise Redknapp also praised the 43-year-old’s heroic work, commenting "You're an amazing human and will always inspire me. I'm so proud to be your friend x."
Robert was recently made an MBE for services to Holocaust education and awareness, after documenting the stories of Jewish families in a BBC series and speaking regularly at schools alongside survivors.
Receive newsletters with the biggest and breaking TV and showbiz news by signing up here
