Natalie Barr addresses rumours and speculation surrounding her hosting gig on Sunrise

Natalie Barr is setting the record straight about the speculation and rumours that have shadowed her career.

Natalie Barr is setting the record straight about the “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” narrative that has shadowed her career.

Before she was eventually appointed co-host on Seven’s breakfast show Sunrise in 2021, there was speculation that Barr felt overlooked when the network announced Samantha Armytage would replace host Melissa Doyle when she exited the program in 2013.

This week, the seasoned newsreader sheds light on how she really felt about the Armytage’s appointment on the show Barr’s worked on for nearly a quarter century.

Speaking on Stellar’s podcast Something To Talk About, Barr said she was not overlooked whatsoever but rather felt she was not ready to take the hosting seat alongside David Koch at the time.

“Hand on heart, I didn’t think I could do the job then,” she tells podcast host Sarrah Le Marquand.

“It’s weird the way no-one believes you when you say things like that, because you can’t say it often enough. [Even] when Sam left, I was hesitant; I don’t know whether it’s something in my DNA that [meant] I had trouble putting my hand up when the boss called me and said, ‘Do you want it?’ We were sort of talking around the issue and he stopped me and said, ‘You sound like you don’t want this job. You sound like you’re talking yourself out of it.’”

Sunrise co-anchors Melissa Doyle, David Koch and Barr, who was a newsreader at the time.

Barr said the thought of taking on the role gave her “cold sweats” and left her second guessing herself and her abilities.

But a little pep talk from the boss later, when a hosting gig opportunity came up again, made her realise she was fit for the job.

“And I thought, maybe it’s OK. Maybe I can do it. But I had to be talked into it even then,” she recalled. “I don’t know whether it’s a woman thing. I know it’s a me thing, but that’s honestly how I felt. It still took me roughly a year to feel comfortable in that job.”

There was rumours Barr and former Sunrise host Melissa Doyle had tension between them behind the scenes.

Many think Barr was overlooked when Samantha Armytage was announced as Doyle’s replacement in 2013.

Barr now hosts the show with former Olympian Matt Shirvington, who was brought in last year to replace Koch.

“We had the longest host of an Australian breakfast TV program leaving, and we had to make it work. But at the same time, Shirvo had been doing Fridays for over a year, so I knew him really well,” she said of finding her feet.

Barr broadcasts from Seven studios in Eveleigh, Sydney. Picture: Rohan Kelly

Barr and Matt Shirvington make up Sunrise’ current hosting line-up. Picture: Supplied

“The gamble paid off. He’s a great guy. We never feel unsure. We never feel left out to dry. We never feel like there’s dead air. That’s what it’s like with Shirvo.”

Throughout her career, rumours have swirled that she doesn’t get along with her Sunrise colleagues behind-the-scenes, especially when she worked with Doyle.

“My view is to mainly ignore it. I find that if you give that sort of stuff air, and start complaining about it, especially publicly… I mean, 99 per cent of the population don’t care,” Barr said.

“So then other people pick it up as a story and then even more people see it. It’s not worth giving it airtime. I basically got along with everyone. Whatever a catfight is, I can’t remember any in the Sunrise office.”

Read the full interview with Natalie Barr inside The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (VIC), The Sunday Mail (QLD) and Sunday Mail (SA)