Sue Barker’s irreplaceable... says ‘replacement’
BBC sports presenter Isa Guha has played down suggestions she is being lined up as the new Sue Barker, saying: ‘You can never be anyone else.’
The ex-England cricketer, who began commentating on the sport after retiring ten years ago, has fronted BBC coverage of Wimbledon and also presented Commonwealth Games highlights.
Amid rumours she is being groomed to take over from the 66-year-old tennis star, who stepped down this summer after 30 years of covering the SW19 championships, Ms Guha said: ‘Sue Barker is irreplaceable.
‘She was an incredible broadcaster and was really emotional in her last few days. We were all sitting in the studio watching that support for her during those final Sunday celebrations, and I was just in awe of what she’s done.’
Ms Guha, who was the first woman of Indian heritage to play cricket for England, was originally meant to shadow Miss Barker during the tournament.
But when the BBC veteran asked to start work at 1pm daily, two hours into the eight-hour TV schedule, Miss Guha ended up previewing the day’s play as the 11am anchor.
Speaking about her move from competitive sport into broadcasting, she said: ‘You’re always striving to be the best you can be. And you can never be anyone else. That’s just how it is. So it’s just about trying to be the best presenter I can be, and if people enjoy what I do then great.’
Ms Guha admits she has come a long way since her early broadcasting days. She said: ‘I was really shy. My voice wasn’t great.
‘I didn’t really know what I was doing on camera.’ Even now, she still gets nervous. The 37-year-old added: ‘I imagine no one’s watching and it’s not that big a deal.’