“I didn’t want to be seen as a sexual being!” Anita Rani opens up about covering up when she was young as she recalls wearing a saree on the BBC and admits it was “terrifying” to be on Strictly ” side ass” to show.
She has admitted that she used to be “ashamed” of her Asian origins and put pressure on it to “tone down” that side of her wardrobe.
And in a new interview, Anita Rani, 45, opened up about covering up when she was young, explaining how she wore “big, baggy clothes” because she “didn’t want to be seen as a sexual being.”
The Countryfile presenter also recalled wearing a saree for the first time on the BBC – which she did during coverage of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June – and admitted it was “terrifying” to say on Strictly “side ass.” ” to show.
What a moment: In a new interview, Anita Rani, 45, recalled wearing a sari for the first time on the BBC – which she did during coverage of the Queen’s platinum jubilee in June
Speaking on the Amanda Wakeley: StyleDNA podcast, Anita recalled, “My dad had a Soviet jacket that I used to wear – big, baggy stuff – I mean, looking back, that was a real sense of style.
“But at the time, it felt like I was making a statement about how I really wasn’t looking to dress ‘girly’. And I think it was actually about sex.
“It was about me saying that I don’t want to be seen as a sexual being. I want to be seen as a young woman who is part of a youth culture that isn’t really about my sexuality; I don’t care about being attractive to men. And it’s complex and multi-layered. And that’s just from clothes.’
Dreadful! The Countryfile host also admitted that showing “side ass” on Strictly was “terrifying” (pictured in 2015).
Real talk: Anita also opened up about covering up when she was young, explaining how she wore “big, baggy clothes” because she “didn’t want to be seen as a sexual being”. (picture 2016)
The TV star competed on Strictly Come Dancing alongside Gleb Savchenko in 2015 for the fifteenth series of the show.
When asked about any of the outfits she was wearing, Anita strictly took her out of her comfort zone, admitting, “Every single one.”
She explained: “Like the first one I wore – I’m not someone who’s particularly slinky or sexy. That scares me. And I don’t think that makes a woman sexy either, I’ve always said that confidence does […].
“The first outfit they put me in. I’ve never seen it before in an outfit with side ass on display. It’s a thing! […] It was really revealing and terrifying.
“But the funny thing is when you enter the Strictly bubble, what you do in your outside world and what you do in the Strictly world are two completely different things.”
A first: Anita also recalled the first time she wore a sari to present on the BBC, which she did during coverage of the Queen’s Jubilee in June after the stylist suggested the idea
Anita also recalled the first time she wore a sari to present on the BBC, which she did during coverage of the Queen’s Jubilee in June.
The TV presenter admitted: “I don’t know when I’m going to do it next. It just became obvious. I work with a great stylist named Krishan. […] I love love love love clothes; i love style
“But when it’s part of your job, it becomes like a job. So you need people to help you. And he kind of went… maybe you take a sari for that? And as soon as he said it, I thought, ‘There will never be a better time than the Queen’s Jubilee’.
Sexy on Strictly: Asked about one of the outfits she wore on Strictly that brought her out of her comfort zone, Anita admitted: ‘Every single one’ (pictured in 2015)
“I’ve achieved my place in the UK media landscape where people know me now. And I feel like I can. And the reaction was amazing.
“I exited the BBC and one of the security guards stopped me. It was pretty emotional. And he said, “You looked great.” And he also said: “It made us all proud”.
“Someone messaged me to say my mum was watching and had tears in her eyes. She was a doctor in the 60’s and was told not to wear a sari in the wards and here you are. It makes me emotional. So you know it was a moment.’
Amanda Wakeley: Style DNA is available on all major podcast platforms.