Reader TTS

THE BBC BREAKFAST PRESENTER REVEALED THAT HER REAL NAME IS FAR LONGER – AND MORE COMPLICATED – THAN THE ONE VIEWERS SEE ON SCREEN EVERY MORNING MICHAEL MORAN 06:00, 22 May 2025 BBC Breakfast

presenter Naga Munchetty has been on our screens for the better part of 20 years, but even after all this time many viewers don't realise that Naga is simply a quirky nickname given to

her by her mum. Naga was born Subha Nagalakshmi Munchetty-Chendriah in February 1975, but was soon given the name Naga, which translates as 'cobra' in Sanskrit, because she had

dreamed about snakes when she was pregnant. She told Saga Magazine that she really disliked her unusual name when she was younger, and other children at her school had mocked her for it:

"I've embraced it now, but when I was younger, it was all about assimilation and it was an unusual name. l'd get people asking, "Oh, does she nag a lot?" all the

time and there were some awful racist variations as well." She revealed at one point she had considered changing her name to a more English-sounding Nadia to deter racist remarks. Naga

adds that she had to put up with more abuse from racists when she joined the BBC, with some social media keyboard warriors accusing her of being a "token" appointment. She says the

insults come far less frequently these days, and even though she's learned to shrug them off, Naga admits they do still sting: "Even though you think you're not going to let

these remarks influence you, of course they hurt." Article continues below More difficult to ignore is Naga's chronic medical condition. She was diagnosed with adenomyosis, a

painful condition where the lining of the womb grows into the muscle in its walls, in 2022. She says that she had been suffering from the condition, which causes extremely heavy periods,

nausea and agonising cramps for many years before that, but that doctors had failed to correctly identify the issue. She says she only received a correct diagnosis after she had been

bleeding heavily for two weeks and experienced pain so severe she had to ask her husband James to call an ambulance. She explains that she had to pick the perfect time to tell him about the

condition after they first met: "I'rn very lucky because you have to pick your moment with partners to tell them about everything you go through. You don't want to do it on

the first date, or the first time you sleep together." Article continues below She explains that she and James made the decision early on not to have children, and she opted for

surgical sterilisation: "We liked the life we had and we wanted to pursue that life," she explains. Naga added that parenthood is "expensive, it's exhausting and a

commitment for life." She says her mum struggled with the decision at first, but she has come to terms with it now. Naga adds that her mum's very proud of her career.