Robert Rinder was born in London on 31 May 1978, into a modest Jewish family. His mother, Angela Cohen, worked as a legal secretary and later became chair of the 45 Aid Society, a charity for child Holocaust survivors; his father worked as a black cab driver. His parents divorced when he was young, and his maternal grandfather, Morris Malenicky, was a Holocaust survivor.

He began his criminal law career in 2003 and worked as a barrister at 2 Hare Court Chambers, specialising in fraud and financial crime, while also building a broadcasting career.

In 2014, while still a practising barrister, Rinder began hosting the reality courtroom series Judge Rinder on ITV. He went on to host Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories, The Rob Rinder Verdict (Channel 4), and became a regular Good Morning Britain host from 2022. In 2023, he joined Monica Galetti as a presenter on Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby (BBC).

On current family life, Rinder was in a civil partnership with fellow barrister Seth Cumming from 2013 until their separation around 2018; he does not have children. He remains close to his mother, with whom he shares Holocaust education work, and has a well-documented close friendship with Rylan Clark, with whom he co-presents Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour.