After a stint in the IPL anchoring line-up for the 2013 season, Rochelle Rao has re-joined the 'Extraaa Innings' team as one of the anchors for the VIVO IPL 2016. Rao has been a popular face on Indian television of late due to her appearances on quite a few reality shows such as Bigg Boss, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Khatron Ke Khiladi among others. Recently, she has also been roped in for an upcoming comedy show featuring an ensemble cast led by renowned Indian stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma.
Born in Chennai to Dr. Nicholas V Rao and Wendy Rao on 25 November 1988, Rochelle Maria Rao attained a degree in Electronic Media from M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women. Rochelle's father is a medical consultant on herbal extracts and an advocate of natural healing. She made her first big plunge in the glamour world when she took part in the Miss India South beauty pageant and ended as the first runners-up. At the Femina Miss India 2012, she was crowned the Miss India International and also won other awards like Miss Glamourous Diva, Miss Ramp Walk and Miss Body Beautiful.
Rochelle Rao represented India at the 2012 Miss International pageant held in Japan, where she was ranked 9th among participants from as many as 68 countries. The very next year saw Rao make her first appearance on the IPL anchoring roster for the 2013 season. In the 2014 Kingfisher calendar, the 27-year model was featured on the 'February' page. Later in the year, she also became part of an adventure travel show on TV channel Fox Life alongside other prominent names from the modelling industry.
Her sister, Paloma Rao, is a well-known television VJ in Chennai and has been a big influence in Rochelle's life. The model turned TV anchor has also made a brief appearance as an auctioneer in a Bollywood film named Fitoor, which was released early this year and starred superstar actress Katrina Kaif. After being away from the IPL for 2 years, Rochelle Rao has been signed up yet again by the Sony Network to join the anchors bandwagon with Shibani Dandekar and Archana Vijaya from the previous IPL moving out.
Rochelle recently expressed her excitement over returning to the IPL fold while speaking to the media and confessed how cricket holds a very special place in her heart. According to her, the Indian Premier League is the biggest live show on television and there is nothing better for her than to be a part of it one more time. Rao claims to have gained a certain level of maturity as an entertainer and is on the lookout to implementing this aspect on the Extraaa Innings show this time around.
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