Dan Walker reveals date of last day on BBC Breakfast

Dan Walker has revealed that his last day at the BBC will be May 17.

The presenter has been a fixture on BBC Breakfast since 2016, and previously fronted the corporation’s flagship breakfast show with Louise Minchin, who left in September 2021.

The 45-year-old announced last month that he is leaving to join Channel 5, where he will replace Sian Williams as the lead anchor on 5 News.

Speaking to co-presenter Sally Nugent, who took over from Minchin, Walker confirmed his last day on air for the breakfast programme.

“May 17 is my last day, so two weeks today,” he said, adding: “If you discount this one (shift) because we’re on it, it’s only six, six more three o’clockers and then I’m outta here.”

Asked by Nugent if it is “slightly lovely” to know he will be getting more sleep, Walker said it is nice, but that the decision to leave had also been a “big” and “sad” one.

“It is nice but, as I have explained to you, it’s also quite… it was a big decision and it’s quite a sad one as well.

“The other thing to say is thank you to everybody who sent so many lovely messages, and one thing I have realised, because lots of people want to chat to you, don’t they, about this programme, because it means an awful lot to an awful lot of people, it’s reminded me how special this show is and how much everybody who watches it loves it, so thank you very much to everyone who’s come up and said some lovely things.”

Walker also previously presented Football Focus from 2009 to 2021.

Channel 5 said his new remit will see him presenting recently relaunched flagship news bulletin 5 News, as well as “fronting a range of new programming on the channel”.

Walker took part in the 2021 series of Strictly Come Dancing, revealing that he signed up for the show to do something “fun” and have a “giggle” after reporting on difficult news stories during the pandemic.

Replying to a BBC Breakfast tweet featuring a clip of him talking about his last day, he wrote: “I will miss everyone and everything… apart from the 3am alarm.”