Judge Rinder reveals he’s travelling to the Polish border to rescue Strictly partner’s grandparents as they flee war
ROBERT Rinder has revealed he will travel to Poland's border with Ukraine to help his Strictly Come Dancing partner's family flee the war-torn country.
The judge and broadcaster, 43, formed a strong friendship with Ukrainian dancer Oksana Platero during his time on the show in 2016.
And now he wants to help her grandparents find safety as they try and escape the Russian invasion.
He wrote on Twitter: "Oksana Platero my Ukrainian dance partner on @bbcstrictly gifted me so much. Right now her grandparents are a week into their struggle to find sanctuary in a safe country.
"I’ll be trying to meet them on the border next week. They’re just a few of the millions who need us."
Subsequent tweets saw him add: "Depends on where they make it to but I’ll be at the polish border from Monday.
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"If they cross into Hungary the next step will be getting them to safety with their family."
The posts were met with an outpouring of support from UK citizens offering to house Ukrainian refugees.
So far nearly $11,000 has been raised for Oksana and her cousin Kateryna's families via a .
Oksana explained how her mum, young brother, and Kateryna's sister all found safety earlier this month after a brutal journey into a neighbouring country.
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But they still have relatives at risk from indiscriminate Russian attacks.
She wrote: "We are forever grateful to still have them as there are so many who can’t say the same.
"The rest of our family which include our 3 grandparents, 2 who are not able to walk, and Kateryna’s mom and dad, are still in danger as they are currently still trying to escape.
"We are praying that they will make it out of Ukraine and into safety soon.What's next is for them is unclear, unpredictable, and terrifying."
