How TV presenter Natalie was banned by athletics chiefs – for posing as a boy in the 100m relay
AS THE glamorous presenter of Formula 1, her feminine curves have long attracted the attention of racing drivers – and even caught the eye of Prince Harry.
But Natalie Pinkham has now revealed that she once looked so much like a boy that she was able to become the star of all-male athletics relay team.
The Sky Sports presenter, 37, says that in her youth she deliberately disguised herself as a boy – and was so convincing that her team made it to national competition level before it was discovered they were harbouring a girl.
Speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday, Natalie told how the plot was hatched after she was told by the now-defunct private school Great Houghton Preparatory in Northamptonshire that she could not compete in a relay championship because she was a girl.
So with the encouragement of her PE teacher, Natalie cut her hair short and wore a male sports kit to try out for the boys’ 4x100m relay team.
She passed her trial with flying colours and soon became the star of the four-strong team which progressed to the 1989 East Anglia Championships.
In a round of the competition held at nearby Oundle School, the team crossed the line first, with Natalie running the key final leg. Her per- formance made her a hero among her teammates, all of whom knew about the ruse. But disaster struck just before the next round, which was a national race, when Natalie was spotted entering the ladies’ lavatories and was reported to championship officials, who disqualified the team.
Last night Natalie recalled: ‘The boys loved it – I was the fastest runner and they wanted me on the team. I remember crossing the line with a huge feeling of elation.
‘We had won it and got this amazing time with the winning slot. We would have gone through to the national round if I hadn’t been caught.
‘I just felt so guilty that the boys didn’t get through but at the same time I was so proud that I was running with the fastest boys in the school.’
Natalie, who has a ten-month-old son Wilfred with husband Owain Walbyoff, explained how she was able to hoodwink organisers and other teams so easily.
She said: ‘I had short hair, a flat chest and we only used our surnames to enter the race, so that’s how we got away with it. I wasn’t trying to be a troublemaker or anything – I just loved sport.’
Natalie, a friend of Formula 1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone’s family, added: ‘This was my only experience of sexism in sport, but it toughened me up a bit and taught me how the world works.’