'I'M BEING KINDER TO MYSELF'

Naga Munchetty opens up about turning 50, her decision not to have children and why she's fighting for better healthcare for women

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BBC Breakfast star Naga (top right, on set with Charlie Stayt) opens up on our Second Act podcast, hosted by beauty guru Ateh Jewel (together far right) It's hard to believe that the same woman who has challenged Presidents and Prime Ministers from the BBC Breakfast sofa could ever have suffered from self-doubt.

Yet Naga Munchetty says it was not until she turned 50 earlier this year that she finally faced her fears and started to overcome the hang-ups that have held her back. And that includes ignoring the “fools” who troll her online.

Opening up in this week’s episode of HELLO!’s Second Act podcast, the broadcaster, who joined the BBC in 2010, touches on topics as varied as her mother’s reaction to her decision not to have children, the racism she has experienced during her career, her painful gynaecological condition and her love of golf.

Although Naga comes across as confident on screen, she tells podcast host Ateh Jewel: “I don’t quite have the self-belief that I should have.

“I'm still that person where there are things I want but I don’t go for it, because I don’t know if I'm deserving of it. Both of my parents were immigrants and believed in: ‘Work hard and be good.’ So you keep working hard to create your own opportunities.”

Of turning 50 in February, she says: “I came to terms with being a bit kinder to myself. It’s okay; you're doing your best and you're doing okay. Some people bash you just because they want to. And I realised they were fools.”