Matt Baker forced to give up on his 'dream' career over common health condition

TV star Matt Baker has revealed he was forced to leave his “dream” career when he was younger after being diagnosed with anaemia.

The 48-year-old - who has shows like Countryfile and The One Show under his presenting belt - was a keen gymnast as a child and competed in junior events.

Baker even earned a North of England accolade and dreamed of being “part of the Olympics” one day.

However, he was diagnosed with iron deficiency anaemia aged 13 and had to make the “heartbreaking” decision to swerve the world of sports in favour of television.

"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,” he told Wiltshire Farm Foods .

"It meant I just couldn't train to the level that was needed so I made the heartbreaking decision to stop."
Iron deficiency anaemia comes with symptoms like tiredness, shortness of breath, palpitations, pale skin, and headaches.

It is caused by 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 like aspirin and ibuprofen, piles, stomach ulcers, inflammation in the bowel or oesophagus and some cancers.

Less typical symptoms include tinnitus, itchiness, a sore tongue, hair loss, food tasting unusual, difficulty swallowing, a desire to eat non-food items, ulcers in the corners of your mouth, restless legs and changes to your nails.

Baker - who left The One Show in 2019 - recalled feeling tearful when he was able to participate in the torch relay in his native County Durham as part of the London 2012 Olympics.

"I've still got the torch that I had in the relay, it's a real prized possession of mine."
Baker has combined both passions by moving into gymnastics commentary for the Olympic Games , including at the Paris Olympics in 2024 .

The Our Dream Farm previously said he “lost his identity” and felt “really upset” when learned he’d have to quit gymnastics.

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"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,” he told the Telegraph.

"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."
Baker has been open about his other health issues in the past, previously revealing he had a slipped disc that was “absolute agony”.

The former Blue Peter presenter, who got the back injury while doing pantomime, opened up about it in 2024 on Gabby Logan’s Mid Point podcast.

When asked if he could still do backflips from his gymnast days, he said: “No, I can’t now.

I’ve injured my back.

“I can’t tell you how upsetting it is as an ex-gymnast, not to be able to bend forward.

I did my back in.

I was doing panto.

I was doing Goldilocks and the Three Bears and we were practicing with the stunt chairs.

“The chair wasn’t set correctly and bang!

I went down on my coccyx and it turns out I slipped a disc in my back.”
Baker revealed he had been resorting to injections for pain relief.

Logan pointed out that his wife Nicola Baker is a physiotherapist, prompting him to reply: “I know, exactly – so we tried all that.

Went for the nerve block [injection].”