Natasha Kaplinsky

Natasha Kaplinsky (born 9 September 1972, Brighton) is a BBC News presenter currently working predominantly as a co-anchor on their Breakfast programme (with Dermot Murnaghan).

Related Topics:
9 September - 1972 - Brighton - BBC - News - Presenter - Breakfast - Dermot Murnaghan

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The daughter of exiled South African economics professor Raphael Kaplinsky and his psychotherapist wife Catherine, Natasha's early life was spent in Kenya, and apparently she didn't see her first television set until she was six. She was brought up in Barcombe, Sussex where she went to a comprehensive school.

Related Topics:
South Africa - Kenya - Television - Barcombe - Sussex - Comprehensive school

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After graduating in English from Hertford College, Oxford, one of her first jobs was working in the press offices of Labour leaders Neil Kinnock and the late John Smith. In 1997, during her time there she applied for a job presenting early morning news bulletins at the ITV station Meridian. Within six months she was anchoring their evening news programme and would later move to nearby Carlton Television where she hosted London Today and London Tonight and a political programme called Seven Days.

Related Topics:
English - Hertford College, Oxford - Labour - Neil Kinnock - John Smith - 1997 - Meridian - Carlton Television - London Today - London Tonight - Seven Days

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In November 2000 she progressed up to the nationals, working on Sky News co-presenting Live At Five with Jeremy Thompson and their morning programme Sunrise. She was part of the team which would win the Bafta award-winning Best News Channel of the Year.

Related Topics:
Sky News - Live At Five - Jeremy Thompson - Sunrise - Bafta

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Kaplinsky joined Breakfast in November 2002 as a replacement for Sophie Raworth who left to become co-presenter of the BBC's Six O'Clock News (a slot Natasha herself would occasionally present as well).

Related Topics:
Breakfast - November - 2002 - Sophie Raworth - BBC

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From here Natasha has branched out into other non-news areas of the channel. She was a co-winner of the first series of the pro-celebrity ballroom dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing, and co-presented the second series - both in 2004. She has also appeared in a number of episodes of the sitcom My Hero, reading the news, mainly reports of character Thermoman's heroic deeds.

Related Topics:
Strictly Come Dancing - 2004 - My Hero

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On August 21 2005, she married Justin Bower, an investment banker from London whom she met on a blind date.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4172110.stm

Related Topics:
August 21 - 2005 - Investment banker - London

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