Dan Walker flooded with support from fans after opening up about secret health battle
TV presenter Dan Walker has been battling a secret illness behind the scenes.
He is known for his sharp delivery, as he appears on the box every weeknight anchoring the news on Channel 5.
The star is also known for his rivalry with Piers Morgan, which stretched back to their days as breakfast TV rivals on GMB and BBC Breakfast respectively.
This also extends to their love of golf, but now Dan’s revealed that he has been forced to stay off the course.
He admitted that he had been secretly hiding the fact that he was suffering from a painful injury.
He revealed on social media that he had torn wrist ligaments, which kept him away from his favourite sport.
As his injury healed, the TV personality made sure to get back into the swing of things with some extra lessons.
Dan, 41, posted a short video onto his Instagram page as he took to the state-of-the-art virtual driving range.
Fans caught a glimpse of his swing skills in the short clip as he practiced hitting the small ball after weeks of inactivity.
Expressing how happy he was to be back, he captioned the post: “It’s starting to feel a little bit more like normal.
“2nd session at @pitchgolf after 9 weeks off the course with torn wrist ligaments.”
The star also made a huge challenge to PGA professional golfer Danny Willet, 36, as he got used to his clubs again.
He added: “@Danny.willett and I have our second golf day next Friday so need to get in shape to make sure he doesn’t destroy me again .”
Fans could not help but flood the star with support, as they took to the comments section in droves.
One fan gushed: “Hope you’re back on the course soon.”
A second wrote: “Looking solid Dan”
Dan Walker's BBC Timeline
Dan Walker was a long-running star of BBC Breakfast but his career with the broadcaster began a long time before he made it to the big red sofa.
- 2004 – Dan begins working as a sports reporter at BBC local news programme, North West Tonight, in Manchester.
- 2005 – He receives a nomination for Best Nations and Regions Sports Presenter or Commentator at the Royal Television Society Sports Awards just a year into the role.
- 2006 – Dan moved to London and secured his first national TV role as a reporter at Wimbledon.
- 2009 – He is chosen to become the new face of the BBC’s Football Focus replacing Manish Bhasin.
- 2010 – Dan becomes one of the leading presenters stationed at England’s base for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
- 2016 – Dan is chosen to replace the long-standing Bill Turnbull on BBC Breakfast. He hosted alongside Louise Minchin until 2021 before being paired with Sally Nugent.
- 2016 – He secures a role as a lead presenter for the Beeb’s coverage of the 2016 Rio Olympics.
- 2020 – The star is hired to be the new host of The NFL Show, replacing Mark Chapman.
- 2021 – Dan begins to slim down his work with the BBC and quits his job at Football Focus after 15 years. He is replaced by Alex Scott.
- 2021 – He is paired with Nadiya Bychkova on Strictly Come Dancing.
- 2022 – He loses his role on The NFL Show as the show is moved to ITV. Dan is replaced by Laura Woods.
- April 2022 – Dan quits the BBC and confirms his plans to leave BBC Breakfast
- June 2022 – Dan joins Channel 5 News
- December 2022 – Makes his last-known non-news appearance on the BBC during a pre-recorded episode of The Weakest Link.
“Smooooth [flame emojis]” stated a third user.
As a fourth noted: “Swing is looking good!”
And a fifth added: “Looking good Dan.”
Dan Walker's career highlights
North West Tonight – Dan began working at this regional news programme for the BBC in 2004. One year later he was nominated for the Nations and Regions Sports Presenter or Commentator prize at the Royal Television Society Sports Awards.
Football Focus – He took over as the presenter of the BBC show in 2009. He headed up the show for the next 12 years before Alex Scott took over in 2021.
BBC Breakfast – Dan Walker started hosting the popular morning news show in 2016.
Strictly Come Dancing – He took to the ballroom floor alongside professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova in 2021. Dan made it to the final five, but was eliminated before he could claim a spot in the semi-finals.
Channel 5 – The presenter made the switch from the Beeb to Channel 5 in 2022, where he continued to cover UK news.
The Weakest Link – He participated in an episode of the quiz show in 2022 alongside other former Strictly stars. Dan won the special and managed to bank £10,000 for charity.
Classic FM – Dan started hosting the weekday breakfast show on the radio programme in 2024, and within months racked up over 2 million listeners.