IN A LEAGUE OF HER OWN ‘I'M A BIG SUPPORTER OF PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW THEIR DREAMS'

SPORTS PRESENTER BELA SHAH OPENS UP ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING RISKS BATTLING RACISM AND SEXISM IN HER CAREER AND HER WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH HER HUSBAND

- KIRSTY NUTKINS

It’s fair to say Sky Sports News presenter Bela Shah has a lot of balls in the air at the moment. With the footie madness of the Euros some way from the final whistle, Wimbledon serving up tennis thrills and the Olympics getting off the starting block soon, it will be a while before she has a breather.

So it’s just as well the 38-year-old has amazing support from husband Ravi Sidhu, 39. As the couple relax during our shoot at their home in Ashford, Surrey, she admits she couldn’t do her job without their strong relationship.

“Ravi’s always been so supportive, because my career is quite tricky,” she says. “It’s very intense and often I work weekends and unsociable hours, and you need an understanding partner. It works both ways, though. Ravi is in advertising and also has a photography business, which takes him away from home for shoots, which I always encourage because I know he loves it.”

Bela has become an expert at juggling her demanding career with her home life after 10 years on TV.

She was originally a lawyer but her childhood dream was to be a sports presenter. So in 2011, she decided to quit her high-flying job to study for a postgraduate degree in journalism.

It was a brave gamble that paid off for Bela and here, she tells OK! about the highs and lows of her career so far and her happy home life…

Hi, Bela. You have a beautiful house. Was this your first marital home?