Anita Rani facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anita Rani
Rani in 2019
Born	Anita Rani Nazran (1977-10-25) 25 October 1977 (age 47) Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
Alma mater	University of Leeds
Occupation	Journalist, radio presenter, television presenter/personality
Employer	BBC, Channel 4
Title	Chancellor of University of Bradford

Anita Rani Nazran (born 25 October 1977), known as Anita Rani, is a popular British radio and television presenter. She is known for hosting many different shows, from news and entertainment to travel and nature programs.

Early Life and Discoveries

Anita Rani grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Her father was Hindu and her mother was Sikh.

In 2015, Anita appeared on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?. On the show, she learned about her family history. She found out that her grandfather, Sant Singh, was born in 1916. He joined the British Indian Army in 1942. During the Partition of India in 1947, his first wife and children sadly died. This happened while he was far away, serving in the army. Anita also discovered that her grandfather was born into a Hindu family. He later converted to Sikhism, which was a common practice at the time. He continued to serve in the Indian Army even after India became independent. He retired in 1970 as a subedar, which is like a senior officer.

Anita went to Bradford Girls' Grammar School. She became interested in journalism at a young age. When she was just 14, she hosted her first show on Sunrise Radio. Later, she studied broadcasting at the University of Leeds.

Anita Rani's Career Journey

After finishing university, Anita worked as a researcher for the BBC and other companies. This helped her learn how TV shows are made.

Early TV and Radio Work

In 2002, Anita started presenting The Edit on Channel Five. This was a live show about news and entertainment. She also hosted pop music shows like Spring Break Live and Party in the Park. She worked as a journalist for 5 News. In 2003, she presented The State We're In, a funny current affairs show on BBC Three. She was even nominated for an award in 2005 for her on-screen personality.

In 2005, Anita joined BBC Asian Network radio. She hosted the Hot Breakfast show on weekends. Later, she presented a weekday morning talk show called Anita Rani on the BBC Asian Network.

Joining Major Channels

Anita became a regular reporter on The Cricket Show for Channel 4 in 2005. In 2006, she co-presented Desi DNA on BBC Two. This was an arts program for the British Asian community. She also joined Sky Sports to co-present Cricket AM every Saturday morning.

She covered for other presenters on BBC Radio 5 Live and hosted World Have Your Say on the BBC World Service. In 2008, Anita co-presented Rogue Restaurants on BBC One. She also became a reporter for The One Show. From 2009, she co-presented Watchdog, a show that helps people with consumer problems.

Travel and Documentaries

From 2011 to 2015, Anita presented Four Rooms. On this show, people sold unique items to expert dealers.

Anita also co-presented several travel documentaries. In 2011, she went on a road trip around India for India on Four Wheels. This show looked at how more cars were changing the country. She then did similar shows: China on Four Wheels (2012) and Russia on Four Wheels (2014).

In 2013, she helped present Airport Live from Heathrow Airport. In 2014, she was one of the presenters for Escape to the Continent on BBC Two.

Current Roles and Achievements

Since 2015, Anita has been a co-host of Countryfile on the BBC. This popular show explores the British countryside. She also co-presented The World's Busiest Railway 2015 and New York: America's Busiest City.

In 2017, she presented My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947. This two-part program explored the history of the Partition of India.

In 2018, Anita received an award for Outstanding Achievement in Television at The Asian Awards. She is also an ambassador for The Scout Association in the UK.

Since 2021, Anita has presented the Friday and Saturday editions of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. In the same year, she became a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations. This means she helps raise awareness for refugees around the world.

In May 2021, Anita started presenting the C4 quiz show The Answer Trap. In July 2021, she published her book, The Right Sort of Girl, which became a bestseller.

In November 2022, Anita Rani was named the new Chancellor of the University of Bradford. She officially started this role in March 2023. In July 2023, she received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Leeds.

Strictly Come Dancing

Between October and December 2015, Anita Rani took part in the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with professional dancer Gleb Savchenko. They danced their way to the semi-final of the competition!

Personal Life

Anita Rani lives in Hackney, east London.

Filmography

See also

• List of British Sikhs