‘I'm not afraid of solo adventures or being alone’ - we love Anita Rani's approach to single life

Anita Rani is fully embracing the joys of independence and living the single life since splitting from her husband - although the presenter remains open to finding love again.

When looking at celebrities who mastered the 'second act,' Anita Rani is ticking all the boxes, although she prefers to use the term "chapter two". Proving that life really can begin at 40, Anita found herself moving into her own second act, or chapter, in the midst of divorce.

Although divorce is challenging for anybody, the presenter has referred to hers as committing a "cardinal sin," as divorce is generally not even thought of let alone attempted, in her family. Yet she appears to have taken on some incredibly difficult challenges surrounding these altered circumstances with enviable positivity.

Anita announced her separation from her husband Bhupi Rehal in September 2023. The couple had been together for 14 years and had been married since 2009. Anita took being single in her 40s and ran with it, sweeping aside the stigma surrounding being a single, child-free woman in midlife.

While society generally looks at the recently divorced and begins to wonder when they'll re-couple, Anita took the opportunity to just be alone - investing in her own interests and growth as an individual.

Seeing herself as a "blank slate," the star has taken herself on solo holidays snowboarding, sharing how her newfound independence offers the freedom to travel and discover more of the world.

"It feels poignant, a decision to hurl myself down a mountain and feel that sense of freedom and fear I first felt 15 years ago. A metaphor," Anita told The Times of her first holiday alone. She adds, "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."

Anita was raised to be a high achiever and make her family proud. "This is where it gets kind of problematic, especially if you are born with a vagina," she says, continuing, "I’ve done my 'duty' but resented that I had to do it. Until now. Now I feel as if I’m beginning to breathe for the first time, do what I truly want to. And now hitting my mid-forties has given me a sense of urgency."

She describes a sudden feeling of panic setting in that she wasn't in control of her life and was existing rather than really living, prior to her split. "Panic set in," she recalls, adding, "I woke up feeling I had lived a half-life, thinking about a lot of people but somehow leaving myself out of the equation."

That's why she chose to travel, specifically, solo travel. "I am not afraid of solo adventures or being alone," she explains, continuing, "Having relied on myself from a young age, I could not wait to be independent. It took me a while but here I am, able to do whatever I want without having to think about anyone else."

While we adore this approach to being single, Anita's take on finding love again is equally inspirational - she's taking the time to focus on herself, and will let romance happen when she's ready. "I am not planning on this being a permanent state - I like the idea of love and sharing my life - but one step at a time," she concludes.