Countryfile presenter Matt Baker has revealed he ended up in hospital after suffering an allergic reaction to pork — an allergy he didn't know he had. Describing it as "one of the most memorable trips" he's had for all the wrong reasons, the 48-year-old recalled travelling to Nuremberg, Germany, to collect a donkey for a segment on Blue Peter. While there, he sampled plenty of food and drink containing pork — only for it to backfire.
Allergic reaction revealed on trip
"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."
"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," he added. Matt later discovered that the allergy was "hereditary" and that it was the same one his mum suffers from.
Hereditary allergy discovered
"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 so much 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. Matt said he ended up in hospital at the time, although, because he was filming for the show, he had to be back in the studio the following day.
Previous health revelations
It's not the first time Matt has opened up about his health difficulties. Speaking to Radio Times Magazine recently, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with 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 asked if these animals functioned as therapy dogs before the concept became mainstream, he confirmed: "Yes, as it turns out, and continue to do so." Matt said having dyslexia left him with a fear of 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.
