Countryfile's Anita Rani breaks silence on marriage split as she issues love life update

Anita split from her ex-husband in September last year (Image: Getty)

Countryfile star Anita Rani has opened up about how she's moving forward after her split from husband Bhupi Rehal.

While Anita is known for her role as a presenter on the popular BBC programme, she has typically kept her personal life private. However, news broke last year that Anita and Bhupi parted ways in 2023, with sources suggesting their separation was due to "drifting apart" because of their "hectic schedules."

Now, in a recent interview, the Bedford-born TV personality, 46, has opened up about her journey through this challenging chapter of her life. Embracing singlehood, Anita is focusing on her own needs for the first time in years, describing it as a period of self-discovery.

In an interview with Love Sunday Magazine, she reflected, "Life is good, 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 TV presenter has been focusing on your wellbeing and career (Image: Getty)

Anita and Bhupi first crossed paths at a rave in East London, a chance meeting that led to their marriage in 2009 during a Sikh ceremony. After 14 years together, they separated in September of last year, a moment that has deeply impacted her outlook on life.

She went on to reveal how becoming single in her mid-forties has sparked a personal transformation, "Becoming single in my mid-forties has made me re-evaluate everything. It has made me see how much I have been conditioned to be a dutiful woman, rather than a free woman."

Reflecting on her upbringing, Anita touched on the internal struggles she has faced throughout her life, balancing expectations with her own sense of self. "I was raised to be a high achiever, to make my parents and family proud, but I was also raised never to bring shame. This is where it gets kind of problematic, especially if you are born with a vagina. So I guess I’ve lived in extreme conflict," she shared.

Anita reportedly split from her husband Bhupi Rehal last year due to them "drifting apart" (Image: Anita Rani/Instagram)

It comes after Anita revealed back in May that she had moved back into a flat she purchased 30 years ago and decided to renovate it into her dream home following her split from her husband.

She told Good Housekeeping: “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!”