ANITA Rani, who was a hit on Strictly Come Dancing, has joined Northern Ballet's Board of Directors.

And she hopes to encourage more people to watch ballet, and take up dance.

"What an honour for me to be invited to support this amazing organisation, especially as a Yorkshire lass," the Bradford-born TV presenter told the Telegraph & Argus.

"I saw Northern Ballet's incredible production of 1984 at Sadler's Wells and got talking to chief executive Mark Skipper. He could see my genuine passion for dance, from when I did Strictly, and that rather than just giving it a go, I'd found 'my thing'.

"What's great about Northern Ballet is they make dance accessible. I want to encourage more people to go to the ballet, and show that it's for everyone - even those who wouldn't normally think of going to a ballet."

Miss Rani added: "I never went to the ballet as a child. We went to the theatre a lot, but my parents never took me to the ballet. I wish they had.

"Learning to dance is a rite of passage now for many children. Dance is a passion I want in my life forever, and if I had my time again I'd love to have danced from childhood. It's something you carry with you for life - my posture would've been better!

"I'm so in awe of ballet dancers, I watched a rehearsal of Northern Ballet's Casanova and I was in awe of the dancers' strength, grace and physicality. They're athletes."

Miss Rani joins the Leeds-based company ahead of one of the biggest years in its history, as it prepares for three world premieres - Casanova, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and The Little Mermaid.

Northern Ballet has also announced three further new appointments to its Board of Directors - Paul Smith, Head of Media at global entertainment marketing and advertising agency AKA UK; Harry Keogh, Managing Director, Head of London Coverage at Coutts; and James Taylor, currently Chief Financial Officer at Anya Hindmarch.

Sir David Wootton, Chairman of the Board, said: "We are always looking to refresh our Board with the diverse skills, experiences, backgrounds, new ideas and thinking that Northern Ballet needs as it moves forward.

"We have exciting plans and innovations across all our wide-ranging activities and I am delighted that our Board is being further strengthened by the appointments."

Miss Rani made it to the semi-finals of BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing in 2015, and recently presented the show's live UK tour. She is currently involved with the BBC's Comic Relief campaign and revealed she is to present BBC4's Young Dancer of the Year.

"I remember staying up and watching the first ever Comic Relief; it was such a cool night of TV, and it opened up the plight of Africa.

To watch it as a little girl and now be part of it on TV is wonderful," said the former Bradford Girls' Grammar pupil who started presenting aged 14 on the city’s Sunrise Radio.

After studying broadcasting at university, she developed a TV career, presenting arts and sports programmes and the BBC’s Watchdog, The One Show and Countryfile. Last summer she co-presented ITV's This Morning and she has made documentaries in countries such as China, Russia and America, and in a Syrian refugee camp.

"I have a varied career but essentially it all comes down to storytelling, that's what I look for," she said.

"Whether I'm in a refugee camp or in the middle of a Yorkshire field, talking to a farmer, it's about people and their stories.

"I particularly love Countryfile because I've loved the outdoors since I was a child when we used to go to places like Ilkley Moor as a family.

"I’m fiercely proud of Bradford. When I presented Countryfile from Saltaire, I felt like I was flying the flag!

"I'm married to a Londoner, he has lots of cousins who think nothing of jumping on a plane, yet half of them haven't seen the north of their own country. I want people to get out and explore what's here in the UK. Especially Yorkshire!”

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