Natasha Kaplinsky to host the Six

Breakfast presenter Natasha Kaplinsky is to co-present the BBC’s Six O’clock News with George Alagiah when Sophie Raworth goes on maternity leave near the end of the year, the BBC has confirmed.

Natasha, one of the corporation’s rising stars, joined the BBC in 2002 from Sky News. She had been expected to leave Breakfast for a more high profile bulletin in the near future and with rumours arising of changes in the presenter line-up in early 2006, Natasha is tipped to remain on the BBC’s early evening news bulletin permanently.

Sophie’s regular stand-in Sian Williams is likely to cover for Kaplinsky on Breakfast alongside Dermot Murnaghan.