Naga Munchetty
You've heard of a breakfast of champions - could we have another Champion of Breakfast?
| Fact title | Fact data |
|---|---|
| Age | 41 |
| Profession | Journalist and TV presenter |
| Partner |
Breaking news: early reports indicate that BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty will be joining Strictly Come Dancing 2016!
Meet Naga Munchetty
"I'm more comfortable on the golf course with a seven iron than a sparkly handbag"
“I am looking forward to learning something completely different,” says Naga. “I’ve always enjoyed watching Strictly. It’s a brilliant show and it’s lots of fun.”
Being trained to dance by a brilliant professional dancer is a massive opportunity. I feel really lucky. It’s a dream come true.Naga Munchetty
Born in South London in 1975, Naga’s inquisitive brain and academic nature saw her sail through school, and into an English degree at Leeds University. A spell on the student paper gave her a taste for news, leading to a post-grad Journalism degree before working at the Evening Standard and the Observer.
Television came calling, and Naga worked for Reuters, Bloomberg and Channel 4 before joining the BBC as a presenter on Working Lunch. From there, regular stints on BBC Breakfast soon evolved into a role as permanent presenter, taking over from former Strictly finalist Susanna Reid.
Naga is swapping early starts for Saturday nights; swapping sitting behind a desk for twirling on the dancefloor. And the costumes will be quite a depature too: “This will definitely be outside my comfort zone,” she says. “I am a real tomboy – I don’t wear dresses often. Outside of work I’m in jeans, jogging bottoms, and golf gear mostly.”
Golf is a huge part of Naga’s life. She plays up to five times a week, regularly entering tournaments – and, quite often, winning. She’s hoping her winning streak makes the transition from the green to the dancefloor…
“Of course I want to win. I’m not saying I think I can win – if you’re going to do something, always do your best. I’d be embarrassed if I thought I had gone in and not done everything I could and given it my all.”
BBC Breakfast has an impressive track record on Strictly, and Naga is proud to take the baton: “I’ve known Chris Hollins and will never forget his wonderful Charleston. There’s Susanna obviously – she was amazing. I loved her dramatic dances.”
So Naga’s following in the footsteps of a runner-up AND a champion. The bar is set pretty high. Reckon she’s up to the challenge…?
