Dan Walker has confirmed he isn’t “told what to say” at his new Channel 5 job after quitting BBC Breakfast.
The presenter quit the BBC’s famous red sofa earlier this year for pastures new, confirming he was “really excited” about the move.
Dan issued a statement at the time which read: “Hello, Dan Walker here. I have a little bit of news for you. In the next few weeks, I’m going to be leaving BBC Breakfast and moving to 5 News and to Channel 5.
READ MORE: Dan Walker makes cheeky ‘morning’ dig about former BBC Breakfast co-star Louise Minchin
“I’m really excited but this has also been a massive decision for me because I love BBC Breakfast. I love working alongside Sally and I love the team there, but Channel 5 came with big ambitions, with big plans, and I don’t think opportunities like this come around very often and I can’t wait.”
It now seems that the move has done wonders for Dan, as he couldn’t help a veiled dig at the BBC.
Speaking to Express.co.uk at the Pride of Britain Awards, he confirmed: “I’m never really told what to say or what not to say.
“I don’t really care about my opinion and I don’t think anyone else does.
“You know what I mean? My job is to talk about what’s happening in the news, not to make it.”
The BBC has strict impartiality guidelines in place for its reporters and presenters, who must report the news without any bias and remain balanced at all times.
However, Dan did make it clear that he was “never told what to say” in his old job either.
He told Metro: “When I was at the BBC, I was never told what to say or what not to say.
“I think my job as a broadcaster is always to ask the difficult questions, but I’m not one of those presenters who’s gonna throw my opinion at you and say, ‘This is my opinion, watch my programme, because I’m going to shout it at you.'”
Dan added: “For me, the way to do it is news, or presenting with a bit of feeling. You don’t have to smother everything you say in your opinion.”
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The presenter confirmed he has kept in contact with plenty of his BBC co-stars during a chat with Daily Star.
He said: “I do still speak to Sally [Nugent] and Carol [Kirkwood] a lot. I saw Louise [Minchin] at the National Television Awards last week or the week before last.
“I think particularly when you get up at that time in the morning with people, you form a really strong friendship.”
He also shared the hilarious story of falling into a wheelie bin in an attempt to interview Katie Price.
Dan explained: “The most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me was, do you remember a few years ago? Jordan [Katie Price] ran for MP in Stretford and Urmston as a publicity stunt. I was at a radio station at the time and my boss sent me down.
“My boss said: ‘Go down there. You’ve got to get an interview with her, whatever you do’. So, I went down there and as she left the room, I ran down the corridor holding a microphone to her.”
Lifting the lid on the embarrassing encounter, Dan forged ahead: “I was so concentrated on getting the interview that I didn’t see a wheelie bin and I went in [it], came out the other side of the wheelie bin and next thing I knew – banana all over my face!”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
