BBC’s Anita Rani says she is loving single life after split with husband

BBC presenter Anita Rani has said that she loves being single and childless following her split from her husband.

The Woman’s Hour and Countryfile broadcaster, 46, reportedly ended her relationship with Bhupinder Rehal in 2023 after 14 years together.

Rani, who has covered royal events including the coronation and the late Queen’s funeral, told Good Housekeeping magazine: “I feel like I’ve stepped into a place that I never, ever expected myself to be in. I’m in uncharted territory - I’m a single, Asian woman with no children, and do you know what?

“I love it. I’ve sort of got a blank slate in front of me, and that feels really good.”

She said she had moved back into a flat that she had bought 20 years ago and turned it into a “Parisienne dream house”.

“I have lovely cream drapes and white floorboards. My bedroom is dusky pink and I’ve turned my spare room into a dressing room. Just talking about it makes me happy,” Rani said.

“It’s my little sanctuary and it feels really important to have that.”

The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant also said that she admires “women who have an inner strength and power” and has taken inspiration from an 82-year-old woman who left her husband and has a powerful presence.

“That’s who I want to be,” Rani said. “Someone who has bigger things to think about than the size of my nose.”

She also spoke about her debut novel, Baby Does A Runner, which was inspired by some of her experiences as a British-Asian woman growing up in the north of England.

Her protagonist, Baby, is single, overworked and underappreciated before going to India to delve into her family’s secret history.

“I don’t think I am at a place of peace with it,” Rani said, speaking about the theme of generational trauma.

“I don’t want to sound like an angry raging feminist, but I won’t deny that I’m angry. I’m a very happy, optimistic person fuelled by rage. I grew up in a Punjabi family where men and women were treated very differently and I could see the inequality everywhere around me.

“But when you have something to fight against, it really empowers you. It’s like a fire inside that drives you.”

The June 2024 issue of Good Housekeeping is now on sale.