Natasha Kaplinsky: My Mr Right proposed after just three dates..but he did keep calling me Natalie

She married banker Justin Bower in August 2005, six months after they met on a blind date, and says romance quickly blossomed even though he kept calling her Natalie.

Natasha, the £1million-a-year new face of Five News, says she knew he was Mr Right at a very early stage in their relationship and adds: "I've never felt that sense of certainty about someone before.

"We met for lunch, then had a peppermint tea together one afternoon and on our next date we booked a holiday to the Maldives, where he proposed. It was all very, very quick but at the time it felt like an eternity.

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Leather Look: But Natasha Kaplinsky insists her husband wears the trousers in their house

"Looking back now, I understand why my mother wouldn't speak to me at first and why I got a flurry of phone calls from friends asking me if I was pregnant."

In an exclusive interview in The Mail on Sunday's You magazine today, 35-year-old Natasha reveals how Justin wooed her with the promise of a ride in his "Black Viper" – only for her to discover it was a nickname for the jalopy he drove and not the flash sports car the name suggested.

She says: "I thought it would be a Porsche or a Ferrari and was expecting to go right off him but it was his ancient Toyota Corolla which he'd owned since he was 17. I got rid of my Audi TT and we shared it, even though it was held together with sticky tape and doubled in value when we filled the tank.

"When it finally failed its MoT I secretly had it crushed because I imagined it would make a fascinating Damien Hirst–style coffee table but it's just a crushed car, surrounded by broken glass, with the sump sticking out.

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Natasha Kaplinsky with husband Justin on their wedding day

"Justin's thrilled, though, especially by the fact the petrol cap still opens and closes."

Despite her reputation for being a single-minded, dominant woman, Natasha says part of her attraction to Justin is that he "wears the trousers" in their relationship.

Talking about her high-profile career and her public image, she thinks it is hard for a woman to be taken seriously in the world of TV journalism.

"Broadcasting is a macho world and any woman who has done reasonably well in the industry gets branded a hard bitch, but I'm not," she says.

"I think I'm quite a nice person, not in a saccharine way, but I would never trample over other people to further my career.

"The frustrating thing is that blokes are never criticised in the same way. You don't read that Dermot [Murnaghan] or George [Alagiah] or Huw [Edwards] are ruthless and ambitious – they're just left to get on with things."

Even though Natasha will reportedly present Five News wearing a T-shirt and jeans, her new bosses did try to swathe her in high-fashion clothes – a move away from the traditional pastel jackets viewers are used to.

She recalls: "Their stylist told me I looked far too mother-of-the-bride. So we went shopping for three days but then I spent another three days returning everything I'd bought.

"The experience was horrendous because, although he was very sweet, he took me to places I would not dream of going, such as Yves Saint Laurent, when I'm a Marks & Spencer girl at heart.

"I had these awful moments wrestling into skirts, not realising the zip went down the front, not the back, and feeling like a complete loser in terms of fashion.

"I even bought these extraordinary Jimmy Choos with wooden wedge heels because he said he'd cry if I didn't. I took it all back and now have a drawer full of credit notes for ridiculous amounts of money from shops I'll probably never set foot in again."

Natasha admits she finds the glamorous persona bestowed on her after appearing on Strictly Come Dancing hard to maintain.

She says: "I have no regrets about taking part in it but I'm finding it difficult to shake off the 'Spangles' label I have acquired. I'm grateful for the opportunities the show gave me, and I don't want to lose all of my sequins ... but I could do with a few less."

Read the full, exclusive interview with Natasha in today's YOU