Escape to the Country: Find out where the ex-presenters of the show are now

Catherine Gee was one of the original presenters of the beloved BBC show when it launched in 2002. The former Country Living magazine editor fronted the show for five years and was also known for her presenting roles on Through the Keyhole and 60 Minute Makeover. These days, she is back at Country Living, where she curates the annual Country Living Fair.

Nick Page's time on the show was short-lived, having only appeared in the first series. After he left the show, he turned to comedy and won Chortle's English Comedian of the Year in 2017. A year later, he made his return to screens when he appeared on the 12th series of Britain's Got Talent. The funnyman managed to make it all the way to the semi-finals but missed out on the top spot to another comedian, Lost Voice Guy. 

Nick was also convicted of mortgage fraud back in 2005 and had to complete 200 hours of community service. Speaking to The Sun about it, Nick said he was "lucky not to go to prison".

Melissa Porter joined the show the same year as Jules Hudson and Alistair Appleton but left after just a year. Melissa, who also fronted the property shows To Buy or Not to Buy and The Renovation Game, has now shifted into career coaching and runs a lifestyle platform called Real & Roar. 

She also hosts a podcast called The Designerati Podcast, which challenges design perspectives every week with a wide range of special guests.

In 2011, Melissa welcomed a son, Pierce, with partner US-born financier Peter Rinfret.

Before joining Escape to the Country, Tim had made his name as a Blue Peter presenter and even starred in Emmerdale for a year. Since leaving the show in 2009, Tim has entered the Guinness Book of World Records alongside Joe Swash for "throwing the most pancakes to a partner".

Aled Jones appeared on the show for three series between 2010 and 2013. The singer and TV presenter shot to fame as a choirboy in the 1980s and has continued to appear on screens following his stint on Escape to the Country, and can now be found hosting Songs of Praise as well as his own podcast, Oh My Goodness. 

Aled also appeared in the third series of ITV's The Masked Singer as Traffic Cone. In 2022, the singer released a Christmas album alongside tenor Russell Watson and even toured for two months in November and December.

Nicki Shields became one of the youngest presenters to appear on the show when she joined in 2014, aged 29. She later left the show to put her biological sciences degree to use and take part in an expedition to Antarctica investigating climate change and sustainability. 

Nicki is a mum-of-one, having welcomed her first child in 2019, and is a trackside reporter for motor racing championship Formula E. On top of this, Nicki is also a presenter for CNN's technology show, Supercharged, and was named as the ambassador for Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's The Girls on Track UK, a motorsport-initiative for school-aged girls.

Before going on to front Countryfile, Anita Rani was a regular face on Escape to the Country spin-off show Escape to the Continent. She appeared on the show back in 2014 and 2015. Anita, who first rose to fame as a presenter for the BBC's Asian Network, appeared on the show back in 2014 and 2015. She is also known for appearing on The One Show and Watchdog and competed in the 2015 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

More recently, Anita joined the line-up of BBC Radio Four's Woman's Hour, presenting the Friday and Saturday editions of the long-running programme. Sharing the incredible news to Instagram, the presenter said: "Well this is my major news. What an honour to be joining @bbcwomanshour @bbcradio4. Cannot wait to get behind the mic to talk about everything you want me to. Join me on the mothership every Friday at 10am. I'M A WOMAN'S HOUR PRESENTER."

Anita has also fronted The Answer Trap, appeared as a guest co-presenter on Pointless and was named as the Chancellor of the University of Bradford in 2023!

Margherita joined Escape to the Country in 2016 before leaving in 2022 and has had quite the career since leaving, fronting Smooth Classics for Classic FM before becoming the station's drivetime presenter in 2023. Margherita has also been seen on Countryfile and you can hear her voice on several well-known advertisements.

Jonnie was one of the longest-serving presenters on Escape to the Country, joining the show in 2010 before departing in 2023. Jonnie left the show following his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer in November 2022. Speaking exclusively to HELLO! following his diagnosis, he shared: "One day, this is going to catch up with me. But I'm doing everything I can to hold that day off for as long as possible. I owe that to Jess and our boys. Some people in my position have bucket lists, but I just want us to do as much as we can as a family."

Jonnie shared several key moments of his life with us before he sadly died on 2 February 2024 at the age of 50.