Everyone’s lives have been turned upside down for the past two years, and Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr hasn’t been exempt from the unfortunate changes brought about by the COVID pandemic.
The veteran journalist has opened up about how Christmas this year will be “tough” for her and her family, who remain separated by border closures.
“Like a lot of others this will be the second Christmas we don’t see any family members. It’s pretty tough to be honest,” the 53-year-old told Perth Now.
With the WA border closed until February, Nat won’t be able to fly to Bunbury to see her dearly-missed family this Christmas.
(Instagram)With the Western Australian border closed until February, Nat won’t be able to fly to her hometown of Bunbury to see her dearly-missed family.
Instead, Nat, her husband Drew Thompson and their sons Lachlan and Hunter will make the most of the festive season by having some downtime in Sydney before heading on a Byron Bay holiday.
After taking over from Samantha Armytage as co-host of Sunrise, Nat said the time off her hectic work schedule is well needed.
“With the new job and the fact it’s been so busy, I haven’t taken any time off this year, so I am ready to put that phone down and stop scrolling and monitoring every bit of news every hour and pick up a couple of books and a couple of cocktails instead,” she said.
Nat is looking forward to co-hosting Carols in the Domain.
(Instagram)While Nat hasn’t been able to visit her family for nearly two years, she acknowledged a lot of Aussies have it much tougher, and reminded people to be kind to one another.
“People need to remember that Christmas isn’t wonderful for everybody every year. Sad things happen and this pandemic has made things hard for lots of people,” she said.
“Life is not that hard for me — I have a great job and have been into work every single day and life hasn’t really changed that much for me, but this has affected so many people in so many different ways and I think this Christmas we need to stop and think that everyone’s won’t be magical.”
But Nat hopes Carols in the Domain, which she will host alongside Kochie, helps spread Christmas cheer to those doing it tough.
“It’s a night where everyone sits down together and starts singing wonderful songs, whether it’s in the Domain in Sydney or on your couch,” she said.
Nat’s Carols gig comes after she opened up to TV WEEK about her fears and apprehensions to take over the top job at Sunrise.
“[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,” she said.
It was in quiet conversations with her husband and two teenage sons that she found the encouragement she needed. The three most important men in her life told her that she needed to “Woman up” and take the opportunity in front of her with both hands.
Nat took over as Sunrise co-host alongside David Koch earlier this year.
(Seven)“There are moments in your life where you need to step up and this was it,” she says. “Drew said to me, ‘Nat, just do it'”.
Nine months on, Sunrise has topped the ratings for 2021. Nat has silenced her critics and her self-doubt.
“When I got in the seat, it did feel permanent and different,” she says. “But after a few months, I wriggled around in the seat and I thought, ‘I might belong here. I think I can do this’. Now I just feel comfortable in it.”
Nat credits her “incredible” co-host Kochie for getting her through the top job jitters.
“I’ve known Kochie for 25 years and he’s the most supportive person I could ever sit next too. I can’t thank him enough and I honestly don’t think I could’ve done it without him,” she says.
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