Natalie Barr has officially taken over hosting Sunrise from Samantha Armytage after her shock exit, but the transition has not been as smooth as expected.
WATCH BELOW: WATCH: Samantha Armytage and Natalie Barr walk off set after Kochie joke.
The new host spoke to TV Blackbox to discuss how the swap over has been going and how the former newsreader will approach her new role.
She shockingly made the candid confession that hosting the show is “a little bit nightmarish.”
Natalie also admitted that she is not interested in stepping too far into the spotlight because she wants to preserve a sense of normalcy while she waits to get used to the “new normal” of being the host of Sunrise.
She reflected on the dramatic first day she faced with the whole team fussing around her, making it hard for her to settle in.
“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…”
Natalie is not too interested in being under the microscope, but she may have to start getting used to it as her life is about to become more public than ever.
“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!”
She honestly admitted that being a newsreader is right in her comfort zone, and this attention is a whole new ballgame.
“That’s my natural habitat,” she said, “I love covering the news, I love going out to these stories. But the attention on me is not my natural habitat.”
Natalie also spoke about how she received the career-defining news of the big 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.
“I got a phone call from a big boss at Seven, and he said, ‘How about it?” said Natalie.
However, she reflects that her response to the news was awkward because she couldn’t find her words.
“I said well… uh! OK! I wasn’t very eloquent, and it wasn’t my finest moment I guess!”
While Natalie’s promotion has been received well by most radio host, Kyle Sandilands dragged the host on his radio show The Kyle and Jackie O Show.
Kyle accused her of being a Sunrise straggler waiting in the curtains for her time to shine.
“Natalie’s a great newsreader – not taking anything away from her success – but I think you can’t just hang around.
“It’s like me leaving and Intern Pete (KIIS FM’s producer and occasional on-air personality) being given my job, just because he’s here,” Kyle said.
Natalie was not having it when she hit back at the radio presenter live on the show.
She said, “Sorry, Kyle, I actually have not met you in person, but maybe if you met me in person you’d see that I’m not that cold.”
Time will tell how well Natalie will settle into life as a Sunrise host, but after years of reading news on the sidelines, this is her time to prove her place as an Australian breakfast TV staple.
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