Sunrise host Natalie Barr in radio stoush with Kyle Sandilands

Natalie Barr has called in to KIIS after radio host Kyle Sandilands claimed she was the wrong person to replace Sam Armytage on Sunrise.

New Sunrise host Natalie Barr has found herself in a heated radio stoush with shock jock Kyle Sandilands.

Barr this morning called in to KIIS FM to defend herself after Kyle Sandilands earlier suggested she was the wrong woman for the job.

Sandilands claimed she was a bad choice to replace Samantha Armytage because she was too “cold”.

“I don’t want someone that’s ‘not bad’,” Sandilands said on the Kyle and Jackie O show.

“That’s where people go wrong, never trust the audience they never know what’s going on.”

Sandilands’ co-host Jackie O Henderson defended Barr.

Natalie Barr with David Koch on her first day as a Sunrise co-host. Picture: John Grainger

“They never know what they want is what you’re saying. I think the audience really like Nat so I guess it makes sense,” Henderson said.

Sandilands interjected saying: “I don’t think it’s right, they should’ve done a casting … you don’t just get (someone) because they’re hanging around. I find her a little cold. Mind you I’ve never met her, just watching her on TV. Maybe I find her cold because she’s reading the news,” he said.

"Sincere thanks to everyone who sent their well-wishes over the weekend, I really, really appreciate it"@Natalie_Barr has shifted half a metre up to the desk to her spot next to @Kochie_Online as our new co-host! pic.twitter.com/UPGK8ZCysg

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) March 14, 2021

Later Barr herself called in to the Kyle and Jackie O show and asked Sandilands about his comments.

“You called me cold Kyle,” Barr said.

“I think you stuck up for me Jackie, thank you.

“Sorry Kyle, I actually have not met you in person but maybe if you met me in person you would see that I’m not that cold.”

Sandilands then asked: “Well you’re just reading the news when I’ve seen you so I don’t know your personality. Are you worried that people will start judging you on your personality not just great news reading skills?”

Barr replied: “Well I wasn’t until now, until you piped up … the other thing is you forget that I’ve actually done this a lot. Sam unfortunately had a lot of time off because of all these personal reasons last year so I’ve actually done it a lot.”

Natalie Barr with David Koch on her first day hosting Sunrise.

Henderson asked Barr about rumours surrounding workplace tensions between Armytage and other staff at Channel 7.

“Is anything going on with Sam’s departure? People are talking that there’s some sort of, I wouldn’t say bad blood but that some relationships aren’t as good as what they have been,” Henderson asked.

But Barr denied there was drama behind the scenes.

“I think it’s what she said openly, that she’s been unhappy for a long time,” Barr said.

“She’s had lots of personal issues that she’s talked about. You could see on her face last Thursday she was so relieved, so happy and she’d just had enough. She openly said she wanted to meet someone and the minute she met Rich, her whole life changed. I just think she honestly wants to focus on that. She just wanted to go in a different direction and this wasn’t it, this takes a lot of energy.

“No we didn’t fight, we got along pretty well the whole time. It’s a pretty intense job.”

Samantha Armytage on her last day hosting Sunrise.

In her first official morning as Sunrise host, Natalie Barr struggled to see the funny side in David Koch’s jokes.

“Now nothing much has changed since Friday, so you should be okay … And we were never convinced she could do this after 18 years.”.

“Excuse me,” Barr replied.

Barr was announced as the new co-host alongside David Koch following Samantha Armytage’s departure after eight years last week.

Before announcing her departure last week, Armytage claimed women who are unmarried or don’t have children are often treated differently in the workplace.

“Bosses don’t ask as much of you if you’re a wife or mother,” she said in an interview last month.

Barr disagreed with the suggestion over the weekend.

The host said, “everyone was entitled to their opinion” but railed against any suggestion Seven staffers with children were given an easier ride than childless singles when it came to overseas or breaking news assignments.

Natalie Barr. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The start of a new era. Picture: Sunrise on Seven

The married mother of two sons and longest-serving member of the Sunrise family defended her employers and “news junkie” work ethic.

“I feel like I’ve worked really hard and I’ve put my hand up for every job, every news story that involved going away,” Barr said.

“I’ve been to floods and fires and terror attacks and US elections and I love taking on all that extra load,” adding, “it’s why I became a journalist. I put my hand up as high as I can to get to those jobs and do the extra stuff.