Born:
December 23, 1977
in
Easington, County Durham
Best Known For:
Blue Peter, The One Show and Countryfile.
Early-life:
Matthew James Baker was born in Easington, County Durham, on December 23, 1977. He grew up on his family's sheep farm and developed a love of the countryside and animals. He was obsessed with gymnastics as a youngster and was told he had enough ability to compete at a high level but he was forced to give up the sport after being diagnosed with anaemia aged 14. He went on to study drama at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh.
Career:
In the late 1990s, Baker toured around the north of England with a 1970s comedy disco-dancing revival show called Disco Inferno. He did freestyle routines with back flips and juggled wooden clubs. After finding out that Blue Peter were looking for a new presenter, he sent the BBC a showreel and managed to secure an interview. During his seven years as a Blue Peter presenter, he won two Baftas for Best Children's Presenter. He left the show in 2006 and went on to co-present Countryfile Summer Diaries, Open Country, Animal Squad, Countryfile, Secret Britain and One Man and His Dog. After a stint as a guest presenter on The One Show, he became a permanent host alongside Alex Jones in early 2011. He participated in Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, partnering professional dancer Aliona Vilani, and finished runner-up.
Quote:
"If you dedicate yourself to something, you get a result. That's a formula I've stuck to all my life."
Trivia:
He raised more than £1.9million for Children in Need in 2012 when he travelled around the country in a rickshaw. Wed childhood sweetheart Nicola Mooney in 2004. They have two children, Luke and Molly.