Rochelle Rao was born in Chennai on 25 November 1988. Her father, Nicolas V Rao, of Telugu-German ancestry is a naturalist while her mother, Wendy Rao, is an Anglo-Indian. Her sister Paloma Rao is also an actress. She holds a BSc in electronic media from MOP Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai.
Rochelle Rao competed in the fifth Pantaloons Femina Miss India South pageant in January 2012 where she was first runner up. She lost the title to Shamata Anchan. She later participated at Femina Miss India and emerged as the Femina Miss India International 2012 winner. She has also won three subtitles. "Miss Glamorous Diva", "Miss Ramp Walk", "Miss Body Beautiful". She represented India at Miss International 2012 pageant held in October 2012 (Okinawa, Japan) where she ranked ninth out of 68 countries.