“Nightmarish”: Natalie Barr on new Sunrise gig
Nat Barr has only just taken over Samantha Armytage’s hosting role on Sunrise, but the transition has been no easy feat.
The former newsreader admitted to TV Blackbox that her new position as host has been a “bit nightmarish”.
On Tuesday, the 52-year-old explained that being in the spotlight has not been an enjoyable experience following Sam’s swift exit from the Channel 7 program, saying she can’t wait to get to a “new normal” of hosting Sunrise.
“That’s my natural habitat,” the mother-of-two said.
“I love covering the news, I love going out to these stories. But the attention on me is not my natural habitat.
“Yesterday, the first day, was probably a bit nightmarish for me because everyone kept asking ‘How are you, how are you going, what’s it like, first day …’.
“I just wanted to go back to the new normal, where we’ll actually be covering the news, and the events and the great interviews that we do – not me!”
The star also revealed how she received the life-changing news about the promotion.
“When the big boss called and asked, it was still nerve-racking and I did have to think – this is a lot more attention, a lot more pressure,” she said.
“I got a phone call from a big boss at Seven, and he said, ‘How about it?’
“I said well … uh! OK! I wasn’t very eloquent, and it wasn’t my finest moment I guess!”
Sam announced her resignation from the breakfast show over a week ago.
“The time has come for the sun to set on my time at Sunrise. I have always been brave and fearless in my career and this decision is no different,” she tearfully told viewers.
Following her spontaneous New Years Eve wedding to Richard Lavender, Sam revealed that she wanted to step away from the spotlight after a “bittersweet” year.
“As many of you know, the last six months of my personal life have been very bittersweet. Some bits have been very happy, and some bits have been very, very sad.” she said.
“I want to step out of this public world for a while and take some time and calm things down, enjoy a bit of slow living, and spend some time with my precious family, my husband and [dog] Banjo.”
Images: Twitter