'Strictly Come Dancing' Star Anita Rani Says She Has 'The Best Body Of Her Life' Thanks To The Dance Show

Even if Anita Rani doesn’t win this year’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, she’s admitted that she still has the show to thank for giving her the best body of her life.

The ‘Country File’ presenter, who has made it into the semi-finals this weekend alongside Jay McGuiness, Georgia May Foote, Katie Derham and Kellie Bright, has revealed she wants to jet off for a beach holiday when the show ends so she can ‘sit around in a bikini’.

Anita Rani

She told The Mirror: “We are training like athletes on Strictly at the moment, so I am probably at my fittest ever – I can see physically that I’ve toned up.”

The 38-year-old star added that her husband, Bhupi, wanted them to disappear over the festive break for an ‘adventure holiday’ but Anita has other plans.

“Bhupi wants us to go away over Christmas, just to disappear and have some time for the two of us,” she said.

“Normally we do activity holidays so he was like, ‘Come on, where shall we go snowboarding?’ and I said, ‘Darling, I’m not going to have a body like this ever again in my life – I want to hit a beach and sit around in a bikini ’.”

Anita added she loves the glamour of ‘Strictly’, because she was a bit of a tomboy growing up.

“I was a real prude as a teenager,” she admits. “I grew up in the 90s wearing baggy jeans, big shirts and my dad’s clothes.

"The idea of being girly and glamorous I thought was quite frivolous.

“At school I never, ever felt attractive, not one bit. But it didn’t matter. I was into other stuff.

"It’s probably the best thing that can happen to a girl. You develop your personality and other interests.

"I’m certainly not one of those women who ever thought of myself as ‘the hot one’.”

With just six stars left in the competition, there’s everything to play for and rehearsals are well underway - although one couple still hasn’t decided on their second song choice.

Here’s what the remaining pairs will be dancing to...

Anita Rani and Gleb Savchenko

• Foxtrot to Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York’
• Salsa to ‘Feel This Moment’ by Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice

• Viennese Waltz to ‘Runaway’ by The Corrs
• Cha Cha to a song that is yet to be decided upon

Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani

• Charleston to ‘Doctor Jazz’ from musical Jelly’s Last Jam
• Viennese Waltz to Bryan Adams’ ‘Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman’

Katie Derham and Anton Du Beke

• Waltz to ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ by Puccini
• Charleston to ‘Too Darn Hot’ from the musical ‘Kiss Me Kate’

Kellie Bright & Kevin Clifton

• American Smooth to ‘Let’s Face The Music And Dance’ by Irving Berlin
• Rumba to ‘Songbird’ by Eva Cassidy.