Anita Rani announced her split from her husband of 14 years last year

Anita Rani
Anita Rani on ITV’s Lorraine (Image: ITV)

Strictly Come Dancing Anita Rani has opened up about her excitement for what lies ahead following her split from husband Bhupi Rehal after a 14-year-marriage. The renowned British radio and television host and author parted ways with her tech entrepreneur partner in 2023.

Expressing a positive outlook in a recent chat with Love Sunday magazine, she shared: “Life is good.” The Bradford-born star added: “I’m in a good place. I’m focusing on myself and my own wants.

“It’s nice to be able to think about the second phase of my life. I’ve been calling it Chapter Two.”

The 46 year old previously wed Bhupi in an extravagant three-day Indian ceremony back in 2009 after their paths crossed at a London warehouse party. The Strictly celebrity reflected on their nuptials, noting: “We had 450 of our nearest and dearest in Bradford, which is relatively small for a Punjabi wedding.”

The end of her marriage marked uncharted territory for her, she confided when the couple initially separated. A taxing work schedule played its part in their decision, leading Anita to return to her former flat in London bought two decades earlier.

During this period, she was balancing a hectic workload, including unveiling her first novel, ‘Baby Does A Runner’, shining a light on a British Asian woman’s quest for identity, released in July 2023.

When the news broke, she revealed to The Sun: “It’s liberating that people know that I’m single now. Not everything works out. Things come to their natural conclusion. That is absolutely fine.”

She also expressed there was ‘no shame’ in being single and living your best life in your 40s, adding: “I’m single. I’m child-free, I’m in my mid-40s and I have never felt better, sexier, more powerful or more excited about the future.”

She further shared how she was focusing on her own needs: “I’m just making sure I take time out to do things I want to do. I’m very aware that, with the things I want to do in life, I’d quite like to do them now and not wait.”

“I kind of live by the mantra of ‘life is too short’. This is a new chapter in my life but I’m ready to open that book and see what’s in store for me because the future is exciting. My philosophy is ‘the best is yet to come’.”