Dan Walker speaks out about ‘crying in the toilets’ while at BBC Breakfast

‘I was full zombie mode,’ he said of working on famous morning show

Broadcaster Dan Walker has opened up about how he would get a “bit emotional” during his time at BBC Breakfast.

Walker left his job there in 2022 to present the evening news for Channel 5, and has recently returned to breakfast presenting for Classic FM.

Having worked for the BBC for six years, the 46-year-old, who appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, opened up on Wednesday (21 February) about the emotional toll the work took on him.

Forced to set an alarm for 3am, which he said was “far too early”, he shared his new role allowed him a “lie-in” till 5:30am.

Speaking on his new hours, he told Dermot O’Leary and Josie Gibson on This Morning: “I feel great. I feel refreshed.”

But he revealed that it wasn’t always that way, adding: “By Wednesday, I was like, full zombie mode,” he said about working at the BBC. “You get really emotional... end of the show, you’re like in the toilets just crying.

“Anything sends you over the edge, someone says something nice about your trousers, you’re like oh so kind of you,” he continued, as he mock cried.

Gibson pushed him about crying in the toilets, to which he replied, “Not everyday – don’t build it up too much.”

But he levelled “When you are sleep deprived you do get a bit emotional.”

On returning to Classic FM, the presenter said: “I love talking to people, I love being on the radio and getting those messages back from people who are, whatever they are doing in the day, they are enjoying listening to that.”

Walker said he found himself in ‘zombie mode’ (ITV/This Morning)

In February last year, Walker shared how he was “glad to be alive” after being hit by a car while cycling.

In an interview with The Times, he shared how he’d received a lot of hate for speaking about the accident.

“We all make mistakes, don’t we? Within 24 hours I’d had drivers tell me that if it had been them, they’d have finished the job. I had cyclists telling me I was a disgrace for saying that my helmet saved my life.

“So I got people angry on all sides and I thought, ‘I don’t want to enter this. I’m very happy that I’m still around.’ There’s a part of me that genuinely thought that was it.”

At the time of the incident, the presenter shared a series of images of his bloodied face while sitting in an ambulance, alongside a selfie with the NHS staff who were caring for him.

Walker tweeted: “Bit of an accident this morning. Glad to be alive after getting hit by a car on my bike. Face is a mess but I don’t think anything is broken.

“Thanks to Shaun and Jamie for sorting me out and the lovely copper at the scene. This is my smiling. Thankful for our NHS.”