Anita Rani didn't feel she "belonged" on 'Woman's Hour'.
Anita Rani (photo by Helen McArdle)
The 43-year-old presenter was an avid listener to the BBC Radio 4 show for years before becoming the host in January, and Anita admits she never expected to land the coveted role.
She explained: "I’ve spent my life listening to 'Woman’s Hour' - even my dad was a big fan of it. But I didn’t think that was where I belonged, so the job wasn’t on my radar."
Anita was convinced to apply for the role by her agent, and the presenter thinks she actually benefited from having such modest expectations.
The star told the November issue of Good Housekeeping magazine: "It was my agent who encouraged me to go for it.
"There was an application process, and I wrote something about sitting in Ubers and always asking them to put on Radio 4. I also mentioned vaginas! But because I didn’t think I’d get it, it made me more relaxed; there wasn’t the weight of expectation."
Anita wrote her memoir, 'The Right Sort of Girl', earlier this year, and she actually considers publishing the book to be her "biggest achievement".
She said: "Getting a gig presenting 'Woman’s Hour' and writing a book in one year is pretty massive!
"The book is the biggest achievement for me, at least on a personal level. It’s really shifted me into a different sphere. Writing it has changed me."
Anita is loving life in her 40s and thinks getting older "rocks".
She explained: "We’ve been sold this lie that it’s about being young, that once you leave your 20s, that’s it, you’re not beautiful any more or desirable as a woman. It’s so superficial and such nonsense. I’m in the pursuit of vitality, but not of staying young for ever because there’s no point.
"Getting older gives you wisdom, power and a deeper understanding of yourself."
Read the full interview with Anita Rani appears in the November issue of Good Housekeeping - https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk.
It is now available in all supermarkets and online at MagsDirect https://magsdirect.co.uk/magazine-category/lifestyle/good-housekeeping-lifestyle/.