Dan Walker — things you didn't know about the 'BBC Breakfast' presenter

Dan Walker is one of the celebrities joining the Strictly Come Dancing line-up this year, and is most well-known for presenting BBC Breakfast which he's been doing since 2016. He also presented Football Focus from 2009 to 2021 and regularly appears on Final Score and Match of the Day making him a well-known face in the world of football reporting, and he also speaks about American Football on The NFL Show.

But there's a lot you might not know about Dan such as his religion, football team, and more! 

1. He is a Christian and never works on Sunday

Dan Walker is a Christian, and follows the Evangelical Christian tradition. In an interview with Premier Christianity he said: "I like to think that my faith makes me a better broadcaster, a better journalist.

"It was Martin Luther who said that if you’re going to be the best Christian shoemaker, don’t put crosses on all the shoes, just make the best shoes. That’s the way I see things – I’m to do the job I’ve been given to do to the best of my ability and see what comes of that."

2. He has a degree in history

Dan attended the University of Sheffield where he got a BA (Hons) degree in History and later got an MA degree in Journalism Studies. The university later created the Dan Walker Scholarship for students doing a postgraduate course in journalism.

3. He's climbed Mount Kilimanjaro 

In aid of Comic Relief, Dan climbed Mount Kilimanjaro alongside Strictly Come Dancing Head Judge Shirley Ballas, former MP Ed Balls, broadcaster Anita Rani, Love Island star Dani Dyer, Pointless host Alexander Armstrong, former NFL star and host Osi Umenyiora and Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock.

4. He started off doing work experience at Sheffield's Hallam FM

Dan got the chance to do work experience with Sheffield's Hallam FM after winning a competition for young sports commentators. Following this, he moved to Granada Television in Manchester where he worked as a commentator on the Football League Review. Both of these experiences led him to become the presenter we know him as today.

5. He supports Crawley Town

Dan is a supporter of Crawley Town FC and said that a love of sports was instilled in him at a young age. In an interview with Great British Life, he said: "The first game I went to was in an FA Cup preliminary round in, I imagine, 1986/87. Crawley Town were two-nil up against the mighty Merthyr Tydfil and lost by three goals to two. I suppose I was hooked from an early age – I loved it. My dad used to take me most weeks with a friend of the family."

6. He gets up at 3:20am on work days

If you hate mornings, you definitely won't want Dan Walker's schedule! In his interview with Great British Life he added: "I’ve never been a big sleeper. At the minute I’m operating on a ridiculous four-and-a-half hour’s sleep, which isn’t ideal, but I’ve sort of got into the routine now. My wife says I’ve got crow’s feet for the first time I my life, but maybe that’s just because I’m getting old, I don’t know."

Dan Walker's Fact File 

Twitter: @mrdanwalker

Instagram: @mrdanwalker

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.