Anita Rani has reached a turning point. “I’m calling these my freedom years,” says the 48-year-old. “I’m feeling very emboldened, very empowered. I’ve slowly realised that you don’t have to explain yourself, you don’t have to apologise. All the things we’re told to do as girls – conform, please everybody – I’ve started letting go of that. I feel as though I’m becoming the person I’ve always meant to be.”
A large part of the shift came when she walked away from her long-term marriage – a decision that carried cultural as well as personal weight. “Getting a divorce is still quite a big deal, particularly if you’re from certain cultures,” she says. “Divorced women are often seen as pariahs. Things are changing, but choosing myself was still a big deal.
“Now I find myself in quite a free space and it’s almost like, ‘What else can I do?’ I’m going to lean in to that – and who knows where I will go next.”
Shorts
The broadcaster, best known for presenting Countryfile and co-hosting BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour alongside Nuala McGovern, is now channelling that spirit into her new podcast celebrating female rebellion and resilience. She came up with the idea – aptly named Sisters of Defiance (guests range from Gisèle Pelicot to actress and writer Meera Syal) – while filming last year’s Celebrity Race Across the World with her father.
