Countryfile’s Anita Rani, 42, says lockdown has helped with the grief of her miscarriage

‘It’s important to use my voice’: Countryfile’s Anita Rani, 42, says lockdown has helped with grief after her miscarriage and vows to use her platform to help other women

  • The presenter, 42, who lives in East London with her tech executive husband Bhupinder Rehal, lost her baby in December 2018 
  • In January, she wrote a candid piece about suffering the loss and has now spoken about how 2020’s lockdown has helped tackle her grief
  • For help with related issues, contact Tommy’s, a miscarriage, premature birth & stillbirth charity, at [email protected] or call 0800 0147 800 

Countryfile star Anita Rani says lockdown has helped with her grief after suffering a miscarriage at the end of 2018. 

The TV host, 42, wrote a candid account for Red Magazine in January about suffering the heartbreaking loss and has now spoken about how 2020’s lockdown and pandemic has helped her tackle her grief. 

In an incredibly brave profession, Anita, who is married to tech executive Bhupi Rehal, admitted that while it is easy to contain emotions and not speak out, she believes it is important to use her voice and platform to help others. 

Open and honest: Countryfile star Anita Rani says lockdown has helped with her grief after suffering a miscarriage at the end of 2018

While many have struggled with the stress of lockdown, Anita divulged that it has been a form of therapy, as she said: ‘Lockdown has given me space to be more thoughtful. I will look back at this year as hopefully a moment of rebirth.’

In her searing account with Red Magazine, Anita penned: ‘As a storyteller, I know the power stories can have. That’s why I share this with you now: I had a miscarriage. I was pregnant and I lost the baby…

‘My body and soul experienced something I’ll never forget, and I’m not going to do what I did initially and act as though it was nothing, as though I’d just had a graze…

‘Because it was something. It was – and is – incredibly sad, and that’s okay to say. There’s no getting around it: life is hard.’

Open and honest: The TV host, 42, wrote a candid account for Red Magazine in January about suffering the heartbreaking loss and has now spoken about how 2020's lockdown and pandemic has helped her tackle her grief

Open and honest: The TV host, 42, wrote a candid account for Red Magazine in January about suffering the heartbreaking loss and has now spoken about how 2020’s lockdown and pandemic has helped her tackle her grief

Now, nine months later, Anita says that the trials and tribulations of 2020 and being in lockdown with her husband has helped with her recovery.   

She told Fabulous Magazine: ‘It’s difficult to talk about, because it’s bereavement. It’s a loss, and that will never change. But it’s too exhausting not living truthfully and I also thought it was too important not to use my voice.

‘Nobody talks about it, yet so many women have gone through it. Lots of women and men have reached out to me since and spoken about what they went through.

Her love: In an incredibly brave profession, Anita, who is married to tech executive Bhupi Rehal, admitted that while it is easy to contain emotions and not speak out, she believes it is important to use her voice and platform to help others

Her love: In an incredibly brave profession, Anita, who is married to tech executive Bhupi Rehal, admitted that while it is easy to contain emotions and not speak out, she believes it is important to use her voice and platform to help others

‘The response was amazing and I think that is the biggest thing about sharing your ­experiences. I just used my voice and it helped me as well as ­others and it was worth it.’

In May, Anita spoke about the overwhelming volume of messages of support. She told Hello!: ‘So many women – and men – got in touch…

‘They said: “We’ve carried this as a secret, but well done you for bringing it out into the open because it’s still taboo and it shouldn’t be.”‘

Honest: Now, nine months later, Anita says that the trials and tribulations of 2020 and being in lockdown with her husband has helped with her recovery

Honest: Now, nine months later, Anita says that the trials and tribulations of 2020 and being in lockdown with her husband has helped with her recovery

She added: ‘It felt cathartic to talk about it, I must say. I don’t talk about things that are personal. I’m not someone who constantly shouts about my darkest secrets, so it felt like a real moment when I was opening myself up, and I’m glad I did. 

‘This is a really important subject to talk about. I’ve been gifted this amazing platform and a voice, and I feel I should use them for the positive.’ 

For help with related issues, contact Tommy’s, a miscarriage, premature birth & stillbirth charity, at [email protected] or call 0800 0147 800