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Sunrise's Nat Barr on the 'pressure' of taking on Sam Armytage's role

Marni Dixit
·Senior Entertainment & Lifestyle Reporter
·2-min read

Sunrise host Natalie Barr has admitted to feeling 'a lot of pressure' earlier this year when she took on Sam Armytage's former role as host of one of the top breakfast shows in the country.

Nat admits to being surprised when she was told of Sam's departure, and even more so when she was offered the role.

Sunrise's Nat Barr and Sam Armytage
Sunrise's Nat Barr has revealed she 'felt a lot of pressure' when taking on Sam Armytage's hosting job earlier this year. Photo: Instagram/Sunrise

Speaking with TV Week, Nat said the stories that quickly followed of her rumoured feud with Sam, explaining that as a journalist, she doesn't 'want to be the story'.

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"I read bits and pieces about myself, but not everything because I'd go crazy," she told the publication. "I could pretend and say, 'I've done it before, it'll be fine. I'm not looking at the ratings at all'– all the other white lies that TV people make – but I felt a lot of pressure."

She continued, "[At the time] I thought Sam would stay for ages. I've never coveted the job; I was really happy doing the news. But on the flip, I knew I couldn't turn this down."

Sunrise's Nat Barr, Sam Armytage, David Koch and Mark Beretta
Nat credited David 'Kochie' Koch (centre) with supporting her as she took over from Sam. Photo: Instagram/Sunrise

Nat spoke with her husband Andrew Thompson and her two sons Lachlan, 19, and Hunter, 16, who encouraged her to "woman up" and take the job.

She admitted that nine months after taking the gig she finally feels comfortable in it, crediting co-host David 'Kochie' Koch for helping her through the jitters.

Speaking at a panel at the Australian Women's Weekly 'Women of the Future Awards' earlier this month, Nat admitted to having previously been left in tears due to online trolling.

"The comments are [like] the gutter… you kind of want to have a look, but it's really, really dangerous," she said about some of the backlash she received after taking the Sunrise hosting gig.

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