Countryfile presenter Matt Baker has revealed he ended up in hospital after suffering an allergic reaction to a pork allergy he didn't know he had. The 48-year-old described the trip to Nuremberg, Germany, where he was collecting a donkey for a Blue Peter segment, as "one of the most memorable trips" for entirely the wrong reasons.
During his visit, he consumed numerous pork-based foods and drinks, a decision that led to a severe reaction. "I found out I had a pork allergy when I went to Nuremberg when I went to get a donkey," he shared. "There was so much pork available at this market, I was eating pork this, pork that, with a pork drink and I was filling my face with pork."
Anaphylactic shock on bathroom floor
"Anyway, 2 o'clock the next morning, thank goodness my then girlfriend, who's now my wife, came with us because I had an anaphylactic shock on the bathroom floor from pork."
Matt subsequently discovered the allergy was "hereditary" and the same one his mother has long suffered from. "We always knew that my mum could never have pork and I always used to say, 'Oh what a shame' because I loved pork crackling so we used to eat pork crackling and indulge in."
Having consumed such a large quantity of pork, he continued, "tipped me over the edge". "I hit the pork threshold, I think what happened and then I've never been able to eat pork since," he added.
Back on set the next day
Matt revealed he was taken to hospital at the time, though as he was in the middle of filming, he was required to be back on set the very next day. This is not the first occasion Matt has spoken candidly about his health struggles.
In a recent interview with Radio Times Magazine, he spoke about having both ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and dyslexia. He said: "I have ADHD and dyslexia, but when I was younger I was known as a sort of hyperactive child and, for me, pets were my companions on adventures, running around outside and doing stuff. They were a constant presence."
When questioned whether these animals had effectively served as therapy dogs before the idea became widely recognised, he replied: "Yes, as it turns out, and continue to do so."
Dyslexia and live TV anxiety
Matt revealed that living with dyslexia had also given him a deep-seated anxiety about presenting on live television. He told The Yorkshire Post in 2022: "The scariest thing someone can do to me is hand me an email on live television and ask me to read it out. It does something to me.
"It's absolutely petrifying. Whatever I read, I learn. I block it all out in ways which means I can recognise sentences. We [people with dyslexia] recognise words but we don't read them as such. It's like flash cards all the time. If you see something, you say what you think it is and then you dig yourself out of it if you're wrong."
Countryfile airs tonight at 7pm on BBC One.
