Dan Walker confirms return to work after secret health battle and time off TV

DAN Walker confirmed he has been working on a secret project during his time off as he returned work in latest social media update.

The Channel 5 news anchor shared last month that he had been grappling with torn wrist ligaments which have caused him problems for weeks.

Press Enquiries: press@channel5.com NOTE: Paramount images are for the use of Press outlet

Twitter/ Classic FM

Instagram

He has been forced to stay off the golf course for nine weeks, after secretly hiding the fact that he had suffered a painful injury.

After taking some time off, Dan confirmed his return to work to his followers in an Instagram post.

The 41-year-old wrote: “After a couple of weeks of holiday and a little bit of time filming something else… I’m back on @classicfm breakfast and @c5news tomorrow.”

He added: “Can’t remember my passwords for anything but I’m hoping they’ll let me in.”

Dan posted a side by side photo of him in the radio studio and him as a news anchor.

He also hinted a secret project he has been working on as he has been “filming something else,” leaving fans wondering what it could be.

This comes after Dan made another Instagram post shortly after his injury, where Dan shared a cryptic post about friendship to his grid.

He wrote: “True friends are those who lift you up when no-one else noticed you were down.” 

“What a quote,” he wrote alongside it. “Feel free to tag yours in.” 

One fan added another quote, which read: “True friends aren’t the ones who make your problems disappear. They are the ones who won’t disappear when you’re facing problems.”

While other admitted to relating to it, with one saying: “So true, my amazing family and friends have kept me going.” 

“100%! I’m not one to share/display that I’m going through a bad patch, but those who care will know and act on it – I’m lucky enough to have a few [stars] in my life who have pulled me back from the brink recently,” another added. “I love them to bits!” 

Dan, who is a devout Christian, has also recently spoken about missing out on jobs because of his faith.

While he’s never named the jobs, among the rules Dan won’t work on Sundays, adhering to a day of rest which he uses to spend time with his family.

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.

He explained: “I’ve never done it to prove anybody wrong. I just need that sort of day when my family knows I am going to be there and it’s a day to do something a little bit different.

“My sister’s a nurse; she works on Sunday. Obviously my dad’s a pastor so he used to work every Sunday.”

He continued to tell Sorted Magazine: “But it has worked for me. I know there are plenty of things that I’ve not been able to do over the years, amazing jobs that I’ve turned down, but I’m very happy with that decision.

“I’ve never tried to give anybody another reason not to employ me. I also make a very good cup of tea which is important.”