Naga Munchetty has said she was left “really offended” by a comment made by one of her colleagues, in regards to her appointment as a presenter on BBC Breakfast
Christopher Sharp Trendswatch Reporter
06:00, 21 Jun 2025
Naga Munchetty said she was “really offended” by a colleague’s remark(Image: Getty)
BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has admitted she was left in despair over a colleague’s insensitive remark about her career.
Naga, 50, was speaking on the Second Act with Ateh Jewel podcast when she started reflecting upon the early days of her professional life.
Naga has been working on BBC Breakfast since 2010, and told Ateh that she was told repeatedly by online trolls that she was the “token appointment” and a box-ticking exercise.
She added that this statement came up again when she was talking to an unnamed colleague about how she was initially perceived.
Naga explained: “In the early days, I was told repeatedly I was the token appointment, I was ticking a box.
“I spoke to a colleague not so long ago who was talking to me about different opportunities, and I was talking about how when I got Breakfast, I was seen as the token appointment and they actually said to me, ‘Well, but you’re not anymore are you? Because you’ve proven yourself in the job’.
“They didn’t know what they said, and I’m really offended, and I just thought, ‘I haven’t got time to explain to you what you’ve just said’.”
Naga has been open about her adenomyosis diagnosis in recent years
Elsewhere on the podcast, Naga opened up about her personal battle with adenomyosis and what happens when the condition spreads.
She said: “When it’s spread outside the uterus, it goes into the muscle, and so when it grows, it tears the muscle.
“It’s spread into my upper thighs and my lower back, and so that’s when you have [flare-ups]. I now take medication to control, suppress the production of my hormones so that these don’t flare.”
Naga first started talking about her adenomyosis diagnosis in 2023 and has campaigned for improvements to women’s health in the UK.
Naga’s story has been an inspiration to many
Adenomyosis is a condition that affects the lining of the womb, known as the endometrium, and can grow within the muscular wall of the womb as well.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, she described just how painful the condition has been for her. She said: “The pain was so terrible I couldn’t move, turn over, sit up. I screamed non-stop for 45 minutes. Right now as I sit here talking to you: I am in pain. Constant, nagging pain. In my uterus. Around my pelvis.
“Sometimes it runs down my thighs. And I’ll have some level of pain for the entire show and for the rest of the day until I go to sleep.”
Naga is due to appear on an episode of Blankety Blank tonight on BBC One at 8pm.