NAT BARR 'MY SECRET BATTLE'

Even at her lowest, the queen of Sunrise comes back fighting

- Nikita Lee

Her solid work ethic and likeable personality have taken her to the top of the morning show ladder, but Sunrise star Natalie Barr only recently revealed the hardships she's had to overcome along the way.

When she was still a teenager, a niggling back pain turned out to be osteomyelitis, a bone infection that, in Nat's case, had eaten two of her vertebrae - resulting in immediate bed rest for two months and the fear she may not recover.

"I can remember thinking, lying in that hospital bed, that I may never walk again and I don't know what my life is going to be like," the 55-year-old tells Woman's Day.

But despite being a terrifying ordeal for the previously carefree country girl, Nat only grew stronger and more determined by the experience, letting it shape her life in a positive way.

"I've reflected back on it many, many times over the years because it felt like an unusual thing to happen for a 15-year-old," she says.

"It certainly made me think that things can change on the turn of a dime and you have no control over it - and so you better make the most of things. That was definitely in my mind and it has been ever since."

TAKING OPPORTUNITIES