rise and shine
Former BBC Breakfast star Dan Walker reveals sleep deprivation so severe he ‘cried in toilets and felt like a zombie’
Dan told what time he had to get up for the breakfast show with co-host Louise Minchin
BBC BREAKFAST star Dan Walker has revealed he was reduced to tears due to sleep deprivation.
The broadcaster, 46, hosted the flagship programme for six years until his departure in 2022.
5
5
5
Dan jumped stations to present Channel 5's evening news programme.
But as he returns to breakfast presenting with his new Classic FM show, he's revealed the gruelling side affects of the early alarm.
Speaking about his time on BBC Breakfast, Dan said the early starts and lack of sleep left him emotional.
He told ITV's This Morning: "By Wednesday I was, like, full zombie mode. And also you get really emotional.
more on bbc breakfast
"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)."
Dan, who hosted the iconic red sofa alongside Louise Minchin and then Sally Nugent, used to set his alarms for 3am to be on air for six.
When Josie Gibson asked him about crying in the toilets at the Beeb, Dan clarified that it 'wasn't every day'.
Most read in News TV
He added: "When you are sleep deprived you get a little bit emotional."
Dan recently faced an on-air nightmare as his tooth fell out while broadcasting, which he claimed followed "nasty altercation".
Nicola Bulley’s family ‘trying their best’ in ‘impossible circumstances’ one year on from her death, says Dan Walker
He was hosting his Classic FM breakfast show when the incident occurred.
Following the alarming mishap, Dan took to Instagram to show off his missing gnasher and made light of what caused it.
He held the tooth up to the camera and captioned the post: "Actual tooth fell out on air this morning after a nasty altercation with some crunchy peanut butter."
5
5
Topics