NATASHA KAPLINSKY
Natasha Kaplinsky
In March 2005 Natasha was awarded Newscaster of the Year and BBC Breakfast, which she co-hosts, won best daytime programme at the Television and Radio Industries Club Awards.
Along with with Dermot Murnaghan
she is currently co-presenter of BBC Breakfast which has more than seven million viewers each week.
Previously, Natasha co-presented Live At Five with Jeremy Thompson on Sky News.
Natasha spent her early years in Kenya. Her father, Raphael a respected Sussex University economics professor, was thrown out of South Africa for his anti-apartheid views and originally came to Britain as a refugee. He saw his dreams for South Africa come true and Natasha says: "In a way it inspired me to believe anything is possible."
Natasha was brought up in Barcombe, Sussex where she went to a comprehensive school. In her gap-year she worked as former Labour leader Neil Kinnock's assistant - and then studied English at Oxford University.
Natasha started her journalistic career at Meridian TV in 1997 and went on to be a presenter on London Tonight alongside Alastair Stewart, the lunchtime show London Today and the Sunday current affairs programme Seven Days.
Natasha and Brendan Cole were declared champions of Strictly Come Dancing on BBC One on 3rd July 2004. Strictly Come Dancing returned for a second series in October 2004. This time Natasha hosted the series along with Bruce Forsyth.