Dan Walker is one of Britain’s rising stars.
The BBC Breakfast presenter, 44, is amongst the 15 celebrities competing on this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Partnered with Nadiya Bychkova, Dan made his debut on the BBC One dance show during its launch this weekend.
The Christian faith is an “important part” of Dan’s life and the journalist is hopeful that it will help him cope with criticism from the Strictly judges.
Dan began his faith journey in his “early teens”, previously telling Premier Christianity: “That’s when I first started thinking in great depth about my place in the universe.
Finding faith
(Image: Instagram)
“I know that’s a bit of a deep question to think about when you’re only twelve or 13, but for me it was an understanding of who I was; who God was; what my relationship with Jesus Christ was and what I wanted it to look like.”
As an Evangelical Christian, Dan isn’t shy when it comes to upholding traditional Christian values.
His faith means he believes that “God is behind creation” and it was this belief which drew criticism from The Daily Telegraph columnist Rupert Myers in 2016 when Dan joined BBC Breakfast.
Defending himself against the argument that a ‘creationist couldn’t be trusted to report the news objectively’, Dan told The Mirror: “I have never, and will never, describe myself as a creationist.
Defending his beliefs
(Image: Instagram)
“As a Christian, just like every Christian, Jew and Muslim, I believe that God is behind creation. But that is it.
“I want to live in a world where we can have different views on things. An atheist can interview a Hindu about the intricacies of their faith. I don’t understand why we are terrified of people who think slightly differently to the way we do.”
Dan himself has also hinted that he will only take presenting roles which enable him to have Sundays off.
The measure is rumoured to be so Dan can honour the Christian Sabbath.
Dan previously told Radio Times: “Sundays are even more important than the best job in the world.”
No work on Sundays
(Image: BBC)
He added: “For practical and spiritual reasons it’s really important to me.
“It’s a personal decision I made for the good of my family, and I’ve managed somehow to maintain it for 20 years. I’m in the job because I love doing it, but it’s not the be all and end all.”
Ultimately, Dan’s faith has proved more of an asset than an obstacle in his career so far as he ‘never minds what people write or say about him’.
He told Premier Christian Radio podcast The Profile: “That’s because, as a Christian, I don’t take my value from what people think about me.”
Tragedy behind faith
(Image: PA)
Dan previously admitted that the tragic death of his friend Gary Speed made him “struggle to find the answers”, after Speed took his own life, with Dan spending that day with him.
The BBC host told Premier Christianity: “In my mind I’ve gone through those conversations that day, and asked myself ‘Did I do enough? As a Christian, could I have done more? Could I have said something or done something that could have led to him still being here today?’
“Many people who have read the book have thankfully come back to me and said: ‘Those are the emotions that we all go through,’ those who have lost somebody in that way. The guilt, the anger, the frustration, the questions… and some of them never go away.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
