Dan Walker thought he would be eliminated from 'Strictly Come Dancing' in the early stages of the competition.
Dan Walker thought he would be out early in Strictly
The 46-year-old journalist was best known as host of 'BBC Breakfast' when he took part in the broadcaster's Latin and ballroom competition in 2021 and never imagined that he and his professional partner Nadiya Bychkova would end up in fifth place.
Speaking on the 'White Wine Question Time' podcast, he told former 'Loose Women' anchor Kate Thornton: "I think I enjoyed it 10 times more than I thought I would. As someone who loves live telly as well, 'Strictly' is the biggest show on the box and they basically employed everyone who is brilliant at their jobs to come together, whether that is wardrobe, makeup, hair, lighting, floor managers.
"I expected to be there for three weeks and I was there for three months.
"It was like playing a game; these programmes are very heavily produced and nobody had seen me dance before I'd started. They've got no idea how big you're gonna be.
"In their mind, they thought 'Oh he'll be here for four or five weeks maximum, people kind of like him. They watch him on 'Breakfast'. Then we'll get rid of him!' But I enjoy pushing myself, I love being tested and I love spending time with people who are brilliant at what they do.
Dan now presents 5 News on Channel 5 and went on to add that he has even taken the skills he learned in the ballroom back into the news studio.
He said: "Watching these people who are brilliant at what they do, I always think 'I can learn something from you'. I think 'You've spent a lifetime learning that skill, I can take something from you and that can make me better at what I do!' I saw Nadiya a few weeks ago and told her she had made me a better presenter.
"I walk differently, she changed my walk in week one. But I also think that it gives me confidence."
Tagged in Kate Thornton