Natasha Kaplinsky is joining ITV News in September as maternity cover for one of its presenters. She will anchor its ITV London Tonight show in place of Nina Hossain and also present other programmes on the network. Natasha said: "I am very much enjoying being part of ITV's line-up, and thrilled to be returning to my first love, news. This is an exciting chance to work with the talented team in the ITV newsroom." The star joined Channel 5 in February 2008 after becoming a household name presenting the BBC Six O'Clock News bulletin and hosting flagship events including Children In Need. Her debut immediately doubled the usual audience for Five News but just six weeks into the reported one million pound job, she announced she was expecting a baby. She reportedly took a 300,000 pound pay cut from her salary so she could spend more time with her son, Arlo, when she returned to work in February 2009. She announced she was pregnant again in October that year and gave birth to a girl, Angelica, in April 2010 before leaving the channel at the end of the year. Faye Nickolds, editor of ITV London Tonight, said: "Natasha has an impressive background presenting national and regional news programmes - including a short spell on ITV London Tonight. We're very much looking forward to her joining the team until Nina's return early next year."
