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All there is to know about Escape to the Country's Sonali Shah

Sonali is a presenter, broadcaster and journalist

sonali shah
Francesca Shillcock
Senior Features Writer
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Sonali Shah is a regular face on BBC's Escape to the Country, providing expert knowledge and support for hopeful house-hunters looking for their ideal property in the British countryside. 

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But the presenter has more than one string to her bow and has had quite an impressive career. Want to know more about the TV star? We investigated...

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Sonali Shah's early career

Sonali began her career working in radio as part of the BBC World Service as a producer, before going on to front radio shows such as Weekend Business and Wake Up to Money on BBC 5 Live. By 2006, Sonali was working for Newsround as a relief presenter on weekends and evenings, but eventually became a presenter for the main show in 2008.

sonali shah 1© Photo: Getty Images

Sonali has worked for the BBC for a number of years now

The broadcaster has also reported in the sports industry, having presented the BBC coverage for the Commonwealth Games and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Fun fact: Sonali trained as a dancer for over ten years, and even competed with former Strictly Come Dancing champion and fellow BBC star Ore Oduba for 2013's Let's Dance for Comic Relief.

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Sonali Shah's later career

Sonali became a presenter for Escape to the Country in 2014 and has been a familiar face on the lifestyle show since, joining the likes of Alistair Appleton and Jules Hudson. It's not the only show she's now known for; Sonali also presents Crimewatch and the National Lottery Draws, and has done since 2015.

escape sonali shah© Photo: BBC

The presenter began working on Escape to the Country in 2015

Sonali Shah's family

Sonali and her husband Adarsh have two children together: four-year-old son Rafi and seven-year-old daughter Ariana. The presenter mostly keeps her family life private, but Sonali did share this gorgeous selfie of her with her daughter Ariana when she was a newborn from 2014.

View post on Instagram
 

Sonali posted this adorable photo to her Instagram

The mum-of-two captioned the photo: "I took this photo almost 7 years ago... Ariana used to sleep on my shoulder... now she rests her head on my shoulder when she stands so tall next to little ol' me. My mum is right, there's nothing quite like having a daughter."

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Chatting to Baby Magazine when Ariana was a toddler, Sonali said: "I know it’s a cliché expression but life as a mum is the ultimate rollercoaster – especially because I’m a working mum. 

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