Woman accused of ‘stalking’ TV presenter Matthew Wright claims visiting his show three times a week gave her a sense of purpose
Michelle Ranicar, who has autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, used to be a regular in the audience of his Channel 5 show before she was banned
A DEVOTED fan of TV host Matthew Wright claims to be devastated after being wrongly labelled his stalker.
Michelle Ranicar, who has autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, used to be a regular in the audience of his Channel 5 show before she was banned.
Visiting up to three times a week, she told how her involvement gave her a sense of purpose, made her feel less lonely and helped her make friends.
But in July this year she was gutted when show producers banished her, citing “disruptive behaviour” as the reason.
She was also called a stalker and accused of harassment in reports.
Now, speaking for the first time about the accusations, Michelle tells how they came like a bolt from the blue and deeply hurt her.
She says: “I was mortified.
“I was very upset afterwards. It came out the week of my 50th birthday and it put a dampener on that.”
Admitting she had developed feelings for Matthew - and even told him she loved him in a birthday card - she denies stalking him.
Michelle’s learning difficulties mean she struggles to read people’s feelings, explains her twin sister Deborah.
As a result, Michelle, from north west London, thought there was “chemistry” between her and Matthew - which she now admits she clearly misconstrued.
She says: “I haven’t had anyone show an interest in me for years, I misread the signs.
“I found him physically attractive and felt there was some chemistry there.
“I wanted something to be there that wasn’t. I obviously misconstrued the feelings between us.
“I felt a bit silly afterwards. I was a super fan and I maybe took it a bit too far.”
Michelle admits she had minimal contact with Matthew during the 17 months she was an audience member on the show.
The only time they spoke was when she asked to have a picture with him on a couple of occasions.
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Speaking of her sadness at being banned from the show, Michelle says: “I felt part of something while I was on the show.
“One of the reasons I started going was to make friends and get me out of the house.
“It became a huge part of my life. When it was taken away from me it left a void.”
Michelle was given a temporary ban of three weeks in July for what she called “minor misdemeanours”.
She was reprimanded for covering her ears during filming because the music was too loud.
Then she asked for a celebrity’s autograph during the interval rather than at the end - which is not allowed.
During this three week ban she sent a birthday card to Matthew Wright at the studio via a friend she’d made.
In this card Michelle declared her love for Matthew.
The audience member told production staff about the card and Michelle’s confession.
An executive producer then called and left a voicemail telling her she was not welcome, Michelle claims.
Earlier this month reports surfaced that Matthew Wright’s ‘stalker’ had been banned from the studios.
This left Michelle’s sister Deborah furious.
Even though Michelle wasn’t named, Deborah said it was clear to those who know her sister and people on the show who the story was about.
Deborah says: “It’s out of order that she’s been labelled a stalker.
“That is a criminal offence and she has done nothing of the sort.
“There was no stalking. There was no sustained, relentless campaign.
“She just confided in the friend that she liked Matthew and had also mentioned it to a member of the production staff. It’s not a crime to say you like someone.
“I was shocked when I read the story. We didn’t know it was coming out.”
Explaining her sister’s behaviour, Deborah says: “Michelle can get attached to people. She can be quite suggestible.”
Deborah hit out at producers, saying it was clear Michelle had learning difficulties and that they should have dealt with the situation more sensitively.
She adds: “The situation was poorly handled. They lacked compassion.
“People don’t always understand Michelle and there’s ignorance surrounding her learning difficulties. People can be quite cruel.
“She just wants to love and be loved.
“For whatever reason, she misunderstood what was happening in this situation. Michelle can misread body language
“Her behaviour was never directed towards Matthew.”