About Sonali
Biography
Sonali is a freelance broadcaster best known for being one of the faces of BBC Events and BBC Sport and before that, a long-serving presenter of Newsround.
Currently a host of The National Lottery Live on Saturday nights, Radio 4’s Today programme sport bulletins and BBC One’s Escape to the Country, Sonali was part of the presentation teams for Delhi 2010, London 2012 and Glasgow 2014 and joined the BBC Crimewatch team in 2015.
She is known for her roles in the BBC’s coverage of many marquee live events over recent years. These include the Queen's 90th birthday, the Royal Wedding, the Lord Mayor’s Show, Wimbledon, the London Marathon, the Boat Race, the Epsom Derby and the 2011 Cricket World Cup – all of which have helped make Sonali renowned for her warmth, charm and versatility. Sonali was also part of Channel 4’s coverage of Crufts and the Richard III reburial.
Her five-year stint on the BAFTA award-winning Newsround included presenting from the Beijing Olympics and filming special reports from Haiti and Afghanistan. One of her films, “Growing up in a Warzone”, was named “Best Children’s programme” at the 2011 AIB awards.
Sonali began her professional broadcasting career in BBC Radio soon after graduating from university in 2001. She produced and presented news and business programmes on the World Service and Radio 5 live.
Away from the camera, Sonali is an Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and the British Asian Trust and regularly supports Barnardo’s. She has been part of the judging panel for BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year and took part in Let’s Dance for Comic Relief in 2013. Sonali regularly hosts live audience events. She is also a trained dancer, having spent more than 10 years studying Indian classical and folk.
Sonali loves travelling and spending time in East Africa, where her family is from. She even got married in the beautiful coastal Kenyan city of Mombasa. Other favourite trips include gorilla trekking in Uganda, white water rafting down the Nile, surfing in Brazil and horseback safari in South Africa. The travelling has become less frequent now she has become a mum though - instead, Sonali has developed an interest in cooking and preparing meals for her daughter and the family.
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