 News
2nd April 2008
Natasha's
baby joyNatasha Kaplinsky is three months pregnant with her first
child, it was confirmed last night. Britain's highest paid newsreader is
having a baby with investment banker husband Justin Bower. The couple became
engaged in April 2005 - five-and-a-half weeks after meeting - and married in August
that year. The 35-year-old's pregnancy comes just months after she became
Britain's highest paid newsreader. She was already pregnant when she made
her first appearance on Channel Five in February, and now is set to take a leave
of absence from the channel, which will leave a huge void in their coverage. Her
spokesman last night confirmed the pregnancy, but said Miss Kaplinsky had not
known about it when she switched channels as she signed the deal in October.
The spokesman said: "I can confirm Natasha is pregnant and she's never been happier."
He said the newsreader had made no secret of her and her husband's desire to have
a child together. He added: "It is very early days." Kaplinsky has
been credited with boosting The Five News programme's ratings by 72 per cent since
she took the reins from her friend Kirsty Young. She presents the channel's
5.30pm and 7pm news bulletins. Kaplinsky is no stranger to making news.
After winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2004 she split up with her boyfriend of
11 years. During the show she was romantically linked with her dancing partner
Brendan Cole. She later met her husband on a blind date. He proposed the
following month on a holiday in the Maldives. Miss Kaplinsky has enjoyed
a meteoric rise to fame since joining the regional news service Meridian in 1998.
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