We’re used to seeing Sunrise co-host Natalie Barr on breakfast television every morning, but the popular TV personality usually keeps her personal life to herself – you won’t see too many pictures of her husband and family on social media, where it’s (mostly) about the shenanigans she gets up to with fellow presenter Matt Shirvington.
What some Sunrise viewers might not know, then, is that Barr has been married for almost 30 years, has two adult sons and has a very grounded, happy family life.
When the 56-year-old does open up about her personal life, it’s usually in glowing terms.
Here’s what we know about Natalie Barr’s close-knit family life.
Is Natalie Barr married?
Yes! Natalie Barr has been married to her husband, film and TV editor Andrew Thompson, since 1995.
It wasn’t love at first sight, exactly – more like a slow burn, Barr once revealed.
“My husband, Andrew, started out as my flatmate,” Barr told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2019.
”He moved in with my girlfriend Kylie and me, and we became best friends. We’d hang out a lot and he became as good a friend as any of my girlfriends.”
Then things slowly turned romantic.
”Somewhere along the line our relationship just changed – it was a natural evolution, and one day we realised that it was something more,” Barr revealed.
“We’ve been together 30 years now and I feel so lucky that we started as best friends. It’s a great way to begin a marriage.”
They began dating when they were at university, then moved to Los Angeles together to pursue their respective careers.
Barr started out as a freelance TV producer, before the couple returned to Australia in 1995, where Barr’s long career with the Seven Network began.
That same year, they tied the knot.
What has Natalie Barr said about her husband?
Barr said the key to her happy marriage was good communication.
”The secret to our relationship is talking, We talk a lot, all day, every day,” she once said.
”One of the top things for us has always been respect – to respect what the other wants to do. That’s really important.
”Also, to give one another space and to talk about how you’re feeling, where you want to go in life, and to be honest.”
Does Natalie Barr have children?
Yes! Natalie Barr and Andrew Thompson have two adult sons, 22-year-old Lachlan and 19-year-old Hunter. Barr once said that despite her ”amazing career,” her husband and her sons ”are my life.”
“I may have this amazing career, but they are my number one priority, and they always have been,” she told The Australian Women’s Weekly in 2021.
”Andrew and the boys come first. Of course, I have always been able to run out the door to cover a story when I need to, but I only ever did that when the boys were old enough to deal with it and to be left at home.”
In June 2024, Barr opened up about becoming an empty nester after her sons moved out of the family home.
Hunter moved to Canberra to study at university at the beginning of 2024, whilst Lachlan now lives in Melbourne.
“It would be fair to say that I did sit around and mope a fair bit the first few months not really knowing what to do and eating a bit too much chocolate,” Barr told WHO in June 2024.
“I was mourning their childhood and felt a bit discombobulated over not knowing what to do. The job of being a parent isn’t ever over, but we’re in a new part of the relationship and had to learn what the different boundaries were.”
Barr added that she was gradually getting used to the new arrangement.
“It’s not so bad coming home to an empty house now,” she said.
“I’ve just bought a Pilates machine for my house because of the hours that I work, I’ve always had trouble getting to classes. There has always been an excuse, but this is a time when there are no excuses to get in the way anymore.”
