Dan Walker Speaks Out After Prolonged TV and Radio Absence

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Dan Walker has broken his silence after being bombarded with questions from worried fans about his extended absence from Channel 5 News and radio show.

The journalist, 48, presents Classic FM on Sunday afternoons and often presents on 5 News too.

However, some viewers noticed Dan had been away from his usual gigs and he took to social media to address the concerns.

He posted a video to Instagram and said: 'Hello, I've been asked by quite a few people if I've left Channel 5 and why I've disappeared from Classic FM. The answer is twofold.'

Dan then went on to explain he had been missing from radio and TV because of filming and a family holiday.

He continued: 'First is, I'm on holiday with the family for a couple of weeks and the second is that I'm filming a new series for Channel 5 which you should be able to see I think in September, which I can't tell you too much about but it's going to be great fun.

'So that's why I've not been on the telly. The radio I'll be back on Monday and I'll be back on 5 News in a couple of weeks time once I've finished filming the series.

'There you go, that's the answer, it looks like the lovely weather is over, the rain has returned, have a great day.'

Dan became host of the daily renowned news programme BBC Breakfast back in 2016 but moved to Channel 5 in 2022.

Dan previously revealed that he 'used to cry in the toilets' while presenting BBC Breakfast during an interview on This Morning.

He recalled that his early 3am starts was one of the difficulties of his job and made him struggle with bad sleep deprivation.

Speaking to This Morning hosts Josie Gibson and Dermot O'Leary on the ITV daytime show, Dan shed light on the downside of waking up double early for work.

He said: 'When I used to do BBC Breakfast, you know what it's like. If that alarm goes off at three that's far too early, that's flight to Spain time isn't it.

'I get up now about 5.30am/ 5.45am, which is essentially a lie in and I feel great, I feel refreshed and I really enjoy the job I do.

'By Wednesday I was, like, full zombie mode. And also you get really emotional. By Wednesday I was like, end of the show, you are like, in the toilets just crying.

'Anything sets you off. Someone says something nice about your trousers and you are like [fake cries].

'Not everyday [he cried], but I think you just get a little bit emotional when you are sleep-deprived.'

Dan went on to bag a reported £1.5million deal with Channel 5 to host it's nightly news programme.

He made the announcement today on the Jeremy Vine Show and posted a short video to his Twitter with the caption 'Here we go. See you next Monday at 5, on 5.'

In the clip, Walker said: 'It's great to be joining Channel 5, but news is never about who sits in the chair. It's the stories that matter most from a team you can trust.'

The star was one of the BBC's highest-paid stars, earning £295,000 a year to host their Breakfast show.

When Dan announced his decision to leave the BBC, he said: 'I'm really excited, but this has also been a massive decision for me, because I love Breakfast, I love working alongside Sally [Nugent], and I love the team there.

'But Channel 5 came with big ambitions, big plans, and I don't think opportunities like this come around very often, and I can't wait.'

Since joining Channel 5, Dan has gone on to film a range of shows including Dead Man Walking: Dan Walker on Death Row and Dan & Helen's Pennine Adventure, amongst others.

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