Natasha Kaplinsky to leave Five News?

Natasha Kaplinsky may leave Five News when her contract expires in December, a newspaper claims.

Kaplinsky is on maternity leave for the rest of the year following the birth of her daughter Angelica Pearl in April, meaning the newsreader may not make another on-screen appearance if the contract is not renewed, says the Daily Mail.

"Before Natasha went on maternity leave in March, she was offered a deal that was less money," a source claimed.

"But because her contract was not due to expire for quite a bit, she chose to wait. It does leave her with quite a few options when her contract runs out at Christmas," the insider continued. "She has to work out what is best for her as a mother and how she can juggle her workload."

However, the star's spokesperson stated: "We have not entered any discussions about Natasha's contract yet."

Following her record £1m move from the BBC in 2007, Kaplinsky headed the 5pm and 7pm news bulletin for six weeks before announcing that she was pregnant. After giving birth to her son Arlo in September 2008, she quit the 7pm bulletin and took a £300,000 pay cut.