BBC Countryfile presenter Matt Baker has detailed how a health diagnosis led to a “heartbreaking” decision that would ultimately bring his dream career to an end
Matt Baker has shed light on the “heartbreaking” decision
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Matt Baker has shed light on the “heartbreaking” decision that led to him giving up on a personal ambition he’d been pursuing since childhood. Matt’s genial on-screen persona is well-known to Countryfile fans, having co-hosted the BBC show since 2009. But in his early years, the TV farmer showed a more competitive side, as he dreamt of representing his country.
As a child, Matt was a keen gymnast and enjoyed some success, competing in junior events and earning a North of England accolade; indeed, he even dreamed of being “part of the Olympics” one day.
He would later move into gymnastics commentary for the Games, including at the Paris Olympics in 2024, but a health diagnosis in his teens brought his own sporting ambitions to an early end, as it led to what he described as a “heartbreaking” decision.
Matt told Wiltshire Farm Foods: “Ever since I was a little lad, it was my dream to be part of the Olympics. But I ended up having to stop my gymnastics in my mid-teens because I got anaemia.
“It meant I just couldn’t train to the level that was needed so I made the heartbreaking decision to stop.”
Matt then recalled feeling tearful when he was given the opportunity to participate in the torch relay in his native County Durham as part of the London 2012 Olympics.
He continued: “When I got to carry the torch through my home city it was a real lump in your throat kind of experience.
“I’ve still got the torch that I had in the relay, it’s a real prized possession of mine.”
Iron deficiency anaemia is characterised by symptoms such as tiredness, shortness of breath, palpitations, pale skin, and headaches, with the cause, as the name suggests, being a lack of iron.
In women, it can be caused by heavy periods and pregnancy. It can also be brought on by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin and ibuprofen, piles, stomach ulcers, inflammation in the bowel or oesophagus and some cancers.
Less common symptoms include tinnitus, food tasting unusual, itchiness, a sore tongue, hair loss, difficulty swallowing, a desire to eat non-food items, ulcers in the corners of your mouth, restless legs and changes to your nails.
It wouldn’t be the first time that the Our Dream Farm star has spoken publicly about his change of course from sports to the world of TV presenting. Speaking to the Telegraph last year, Matt revealed that he was left “really upset” when he had to make other plans for his future.
Matt told the outlet: “When I was told aged 13 that I was anaemic and had to slow down my gymnastics training, which meant that I wouldn’t be able to continue at the level I was at, I was really upset.
“I’d lost my identity in a way. But then I just committed to something else: I went off and became a North of England pole-vaulting champion and did sports acrobatics.”
You should visit your GP if you think you have iron deficiency anaemia. You can learn more about the condition on the NHS website.
Catch Matt on Countryfile on BBC One today (Sunday, April 5), from 5pm to 6pm.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
