Biographies

Presenter, BBC South West

Natalie Cornah is the main sports and entertainment presenter on BBC Spotlight, the South West's regional television news programme, and she also presents the main evening programme once a week.

Natalie, who was born in Newquay, loves her job and says: "I have the best job at Spotlight. What could be better than going to the theatre, meeting famous people and following the region's sporting events?"

She has always had a keen interest in sport. As a young girl she used to watch the local rugby team her father coached and in her school days she played netball to a very high standard.

Her career started with reporting news and sport for various local newspapers in Cornwall. She also worked as a sports presenter for World TV News in London, on events which included football's World Cup and the Winter Olympics in Japan.

She says: "That was an incredible experience. It was great that I got to meet many of my sporting idols, but I did find some of the pronunciations a bit of a struggle!"

Although she loved the excitement of London she soon realised how much she missed her native South West, appreciated just what a friendly region it is, and decided to return.

In her spare time Natalie loves walking her dogs, mountain biking and, not surprisingly, watching sport.

She is also very good at shopping and loves the fact that she can wear her own clothes to present the sport on TV.

She says: "It's great that we have a relaxed attitude to our sports look. After all it's not a starchy, stiff subject, you don't go to watch football in a smart jacket and skirt, so it's nice not to have to look like that on the TV."

She returns to her family home in Cornwall whenever she can to enjoy the beaches and the good weather and says: "It's great living in the area where I was brought up and where all my family are. The South West is one of the most beautiful areas in the country and it's a region that's very hard to leave."