BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has been married to television director James Haggar since 2007. The 51-year-old journalist has fronted the morning programme since 2014, after joining as a stand-in presenter in 2009. She co-hosts the show with Charlie Stayt from Thursday to Saturday.
James Haggar's Career Behind the Scenes
While Munchetty is a familiar face on screen, her husband prefers to work behind the scenes. Haggar has built a successful career in broadcasting, serving as a television director for Sky News' panel show The Pledge from 2015 to 2021. For over a decade, he worked as a senior director at CNBC International, and previously directed programmes for Five News and OK TV. He has also held roles as a Senior Studio Director at ITV and a Creative Director at GB News.
Their First Date and Shared Interests
The couple's first date took place at a pool hall, a location that suited their shared love of snooker. They have a snooker table in their Hertfordshire home. Munchetty has said that their mutual passion for golf strengthens their relationship. In a 2016 interview, she explained: "James and I are both golfers, and I think it’s great for our relationship. It gives us a few hours together when we’re walking and talking and catching up; it really makes a difference. Golf takes you on a journey together, and it means you stay in touch with one another."
Wedding and Marriage Advice
The couple married in 2007, though few details about their wedding day have been made public. Munchetty has shared the advice she received from her husband's aunt: "When James and I got married almost 12 years ago, one of his aunts said to us: the best bit of advice I can give you is to simply be kind to one another. She was right," she told The Guardian in 2016.
During a photoshoot in 2016, a framed wedding photo showed Munchetty in an ivory corseted dress with choker-style detailing, posing with her mother. She also recalled a mishap on the dance floor: "I don't know if I styled it out, but I did fall over in a big, puffy wedding dress during my first dance to 'You're Just Too Good To Be True'," she admitted on her BBC Radio 5 Live show. "We even figured out a dance routine and everything. It didn't go to plan but the wedding day was a success apart from that."
Rare Arguments and Marathon Training
Munchetty has said that she and Haggar rarely argue. Speaking on the Her Spirit podcast with former BBC Breakfast co-star Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson, she stated: "James and I don't row, and he's a lovely, lovely man, he's definitely the better half." However, she recalled a "meltdown" from her husband when she involved him in marathon training in tough weather conditions in 2013. The pair completed the marathon together.
Decision Not to Have Children
The couple decided against starting a family. Munchetty told The Times: "We never tried, and I never miscarried; we just never really wanted them. We kept putting the decision off, and then life got better for us, we became more selfish... and just didn't find the time." She faced backlash for this choice, with some people branding her "wicked" for denying her mother grandchildren. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live in 2020, she said: "I remember when I told someone that I had decided I didn't want children, someone told me I was wicked. Wicked against my mother for denying her grandchildren. It's quite interesting, isn't it, how people react?" She added: "I'm past the age now where people expect me to have children. But people can be quite forthright: 'Oh, you can't have them?' I think people find it unusual that both in the relationship have agreed or decided or come to the conclusion that they don't want children."
