Channel 5 news presenter Dan Walker has scaled the perilous Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief and braved sparkly costumes and spray tans as a competitor on Strictly Come Dancing. But he had to face his two worst fears while filming alongside his long-time pal Helen Skelton for their new travel series Dan & Helen’s Pennine Adventure.
The journalist and TV presenter, 46, is “mildly terrified” of horses, following an incident when he was a sports reporter. “I nearly got eaten by a Grand National winner, when I used to cover the event for the BBC,” he says. “I’m exaggerating slightly – Mon Mome swiped for my neck when I shoved a mic under his stable hand’s mouth after the race.