Beloved Sunrise host Natalie Barr has been behind the desk for 22 years but even after two decades the seasoned journalist reveals the job still makes her nervous.

“The day I stop being excited and/or nervous is the day I should leave,” Barr told www.20304050.best.

“Because I do still get nervous.

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“Things go wrong all the time. With nearly four hours on-air, there’s always something that goes wrong, or an interview you walk away from and think ‘I should have done that differently.’

“There’s no way we think we are perfect.

“But sometimes I think that’s what spurs the nerves, because you want to get it right and do a really good job.”

Barr’s day starts at 2.30am – with a shower, hair washing (every second day) and coffee in the car on the way to work.

“I listen to a political podcast on the way in, so I can get an update on what’s happened the day before,” Barr explained.

“I’m at my desk at 3.30am.

“We’re really proud — you see us at the desk, as the sort of the anchors of the team but we know how big the team is and how much work they put into the show.”

Talking about her co-host Matt “Shirvo” Shirvington — who celebrated two years at the number one morning show in June — Barr praised the former athlete’s ability to find the human side to a story.

“He really delves into that person’s heartfelt side of the story — that’s where he really comes into his own,” Barr shared.

While Barr is a seasoned journalist who knows her way around the newsroom, the TV host revealed she recently navigated new territory in her personal life when her sons, Hunter, 19, and Lachlan, 23, moved out of the family home.

The absence of their children left Barr and her husband, Andrew, in their “empty-nest” phase, which at first brought a level of sadness.

“But then you get used to it…” Barr reflected.

“You really don’t want them to be living at home when they’re 40, so you know at some point they’re going to have to move out.

“You want them to stand on their own two feet.”

After adjusting to this new stage in her life, Barr said she was learning to embrace her newly found me-time at the age of 57.

The Sunrise host has long been a fan of Pilates — she even has a pilates machine at home — but she recently joined a local neighbourhood gym, which has helped revitalise her fitness routine.

“It’s so important for women over 50 to do weight-bearing exercises,” Barr added, revealing her new challenge.

“I’m actually loving it and trying to get a bit fitter.”

Barr will mark her 30-year wedding anniversary in December but confessed she and her husband had already celebrated in secret.

“We didn’t want to have a party, so we went to Europe for two weeks,” Barr revealed.

“We hadn’t been to Europe together for many, many years, so we did that mid-year. It was fantastic.

“We did a pre-celebration and met up with one of my sons who was on his uni break... and it was just lovely.

“It felt very special.”