Escape to the Country fans enraged as Anita Rani ‘fakes’ plans to buy £875k home-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

Anita Rani has been slammed by fans for her Escape to the Country appearance (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Escape to the Country fans are less than impressed after Anita Rani appeared on the celebrity edition, only to not buy a new home.

The TV and radio presenter, 47, appeared on the show on Friday for an hour-long special as she was joined by host Alistair Appleton and close friend Shaun Clarkson to hunt for a rural home on the Kent and Sussex coastline.

The Countryfile star who grew up in Bradford currently lives in East London where she built a home with her husband of 14 years, Bhupinder ‘Bhupi’ Rehal, before reports that they split in September 2023.

Discussing her motivations for the drastic move on the show, she said: ‘All of a sudden I have this urge to be somewhere different and do something different.’

As an author, she also wants the space to be able to write and bring her family and friends over, as outlined by her friend and co-host Matt Baker who made a brief appearance on the episode.

After touring various homes, Anita finally settled on her dream home in Dungeness, but was quickly put off by the price tag of £875k.

The TV host appeared on the show to swap her East London life for the coast (Picture: BBC / Naked West/Fremantle)

Anita left her husband in September 2023 after 14 years of marriage (Picture: Instagram / Anita Rani)

At the end of the episode, she wondered: ‘I can imagine myself living here but can I afford it? Do I believe it’s worth what it is?

‘Because I’m a Yorkshire lass, which means that there’s something about parting with my money and not feeling like I’m getting something that’s worth it.’

In the end, Anita was reluctant to part with her money and, for now at least, is staying put.

Unfortunately, the journey’s conclusion left a bad taste in people’s mouths.

‘Caught a bit of the celeb Escape To The Country just now; all guests are doing it for the appearance fee. If they wanted to splash a million on a house they’d do it away from the telly cameras,’ @mikekdaviesnow wrote on X.

‘What a load of toot these ‘celebrity’ editions of Escape To The Country are. If you can’t afford 875k darlin then why are you looking at an 875k property?

‘And I don’t believe for one sec any of these celebs are interested in moving/buying. Stop this nonsense!’

‘I’ve seen a couple of these episodes, the last with Anita Rani. Do people ever buy? I am guessing not as they don’t want the public to know where they live. So what is the point of this programme?’ @johnnyjBoylan01 added.

The star said she wanted to use the new place as a writing retreat (Picture: BBC / Naked West/Fremantle)

She has spoken about life as a newly-single woman (Picture: PA)

‘There’s no way Anita Rani is interested in any of these homes shown. It’s all just for the programme. The fake enthusiasm is nauseating,’ @sternhammerWulf echoed.

‘Escape To The Country Great…great….great…..let’s buy it…. “Well what do you think?”…Mmm….maybe none of them???….or am I mistaken….’ @TWATspiel said.

And it’s a wider criticism of the celebrity edition, with user @jonannem5569 adding: ‘This episode is a bit rubbish. Why do we need these celebrity versions? They seem totally fake.’

So far series two has featured Anita, Alfie Boe, Kaye Adams and Linford Christie with past stars including Cheryl Baker and Dr Ranj.

Meanwhile, the TV star recently opened up about how she has been coping with the massive change in her life over the past year.

‘It’s been a very dark, very traumatic year. I’m just going to be taking a moment to remember what I’ve got,’ she told Women magazine, before looking ahead to the future.

She made a swipe at ex-Masterchef host Gregg Wallace at a recent appearance (Picture: WireImage)

She added: ‘It’s so exciting! I don’t do resolutions but let’s see what 2025 brings. I feel really positive, excited and energised. I feel like there’s potential.’

Anita married her ex-husband in 2009 after one year of dating but in recent years they reportedly grew apart due to their hectic schedules.

In May she spoke candidly about the situation to 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! I’ve sort of got a blank slate in front of me, and that feels really good.’

She made headlines recently after making a swipe at former Masterchef host Gregg Wallace who claimed accusations of misconduct were coming from ‘middle-class women of a certain age’.

Anita arrived on the Sky Women in Film and TV Awards red carpet proudly wearing a top with the phrase.

Celebrity Escape to the Country is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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