Natalie Pinkham

Natalie Pinkham, 30, was born in Buckinghamshire, and now lives in Wandsworth, London.

A keen motoring enthusiast, Natalie hosted the coverage of the Isle of Man TT on Men and Motors before appearing in Dancing on Ice and presenting Police Interceptors on Five.

WHAT DO YOU DRIVE?
A black Mini Cooper which I've had for about three years. It's a perfect car for the city because I'll see the smallest parking slot and think 'No, I can get in there'. I'm a big athletics fan so I named my car after [former American sprinter] Leroy Brown because it's black, hard and fast.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
My first ever car was a Peugeot 205, which was a real knackered old thing but I used to drive up to university and it would start shaking and make a really bad noise when it got up to 80mph. We name all our cars in our family and he was called 'Jose'.

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST/WORST CAR?
I think to be honest my current one has done me well. I've done a lot of driving in him because I go up North a lot to see my parents and my brother, and it's just really easy to drive and economical. I say that now, but things will probably start to go wrong and cost me a fortune.

I think my first car was probably the most knackered because it was cheap and cheerful and, as a student, that's all you can afford. Even though a load of things went wrong with it, I still have a lot of affection for the car because it was a birthday present.

WHAT IS YOR DREAM CAR?
It's such a hard question. I love Maseratis. I drove a Lamborghini for Police Interceptors and that was just out of this world. Everyone loves the Aston Martin, I think it's the sort of car you aspire to when you're much older, but I don't think there's anything sweeter out there to drive than an Aston Martin.

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE A GOOD DRIVER?
I'm quite a decisive driver. My only problem is I'm not that good at judging distances so I try not to take risks.

It's funny, because if you asked my family they'd probably tell you I'm not a good driver - but I passed my test first time and I was gutted to find out they'd taken out all sorts of wagers on me. I think living in London has made me a better driver.

WHAT DO YOU ALWAYS KEEP IN YOUR GLOVEBOX?
My Tom Tom - I've got no sense of direction. Up until recently, a mate of mine's girlfriend didn't like him buying Nuts magazine so every time I picked him up he'd leave it in my glovebox and I had about four of them and it made me look really dodgy. I also always keep some Haribo sweets in there too.

WHAT DRIVES YOU MAD BEHIND THE WHEEL?
I suppose it goes without saying, but it really drives me mad when you see someone bombing it through a village or a residential area.

WHAT'S THE BEST MUSIC TO DRIVE TO?
I quite like belting out all the rock tunes. I love a bit of Green Day, Kings of Leon and the Killers - all of that sort of stuff. I also like a few cheesy ballads - you've got to love a power ballad when you're in the mood for one.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A CRASH?
I had a prang once when I was studying for my A-levels. I dropped a book off my front seat and mounted the pavement when I tried to pick it up. There was no damage at all but I did nudge the lamppost. Being a bit of a drama queen, I told my examiner I couldn't sit my exam, but was told I still had to do it.

WHO WOULD BE YOUR PERFECT PASSENGER?
Alan Carr. I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the road because he'd make me laugh so much. He is just brilliant, I love him.

WHO CLEANS YOUR CAR, AND HOW OFTEN?
I love my cleaning my car, I find it really therapeutic. There's nowhere near me where I can clean my own car but there are these guys nearby who clean your car for a fiver and they are brilliant. When I'm at my mum and dad's I clean my car and theirs.

WHAT'S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU'VE EVER DONE IN A CAR?
Me and my mates always talk about doing a massive road trip across America and I'd love to do the old Thelma and Louise journey. We wouldn't drive across the cliff but we'd like to meet Brad Pitt.

View more images of Natalie Pinkham on Bing

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