Sunrise co-hosts Natalie Barr and David Koch return after sick leave

Breakfast TV hosts David Koch and Natalie Barr have joked about their absence from screens last week after both fell ill.

The Sunrise morning show has returned to normal programming as co-hosts Natalie Barr and David “Kochie” Koch arrive back at work after both falling ill last week.

The pair made light of the unlucky timing of their respective illnesses that took them off screen, saying they had stayed in touch during their absence ave and competed over who was sicker.

Koch was sent into self-isolation last week after he tested positive for Covid-19, which he believes he may have caught while attending a Red Cross flood appeal on the evening of Saturday, March 12.

Barr took several rapid antigen tests that all returned negative but fell under the weather with a common head cold.

Sunrise stars Natalie Barr and David Koch are back at work. Picture: Supplied

“I think your cold was worse than my Covid-19,” Kochie joked on air on Monday morning.

“I actually think my head cold was worse than your Covid-19,” Barr confirmed.

Koch said in a statement last Monday that he tested negative ahead of the Australia Unites broadcast but woke up feeling “shaggy” on Sunday morning.

“I initially put that down to the late finish and sharing the bottle of red wine that Sylvia and Dr Chris insisted we share (that’s my version and I’m sticking with it),” he said.

The 66-year-old’s symptoms were mild and he recovered at home with the care of his wife Libby, a registered nurse.

It was incredibly poor timing for Barr, who celebrated her first anniversary as Sunrise co-host while recuperating on her lounge.

“It’s nearly 20 years ago that I started on Sunrise, so I’ve been part of this show and it’s been my heart and soul and my life for a long time,” she told 7 Life.