Presenter Matt Baker has been open about his health, especially after sustaining an injury.
While appearing in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, an improperly secured chair stunt failed, leading to a fall that impacted his coccyx.
As a result, former Blue Peter host Matt was left with a painful herniated disc. And despite regular sessions to help improve it, he revealed in 2024 that he was still having a tough time.
Matt Baker on his ‘challenging’ herniated disc
While speaking to The Sun, he told the newspaper: “It’s a pain, it’s really challenging to get back and get fully fit again.”
Admitting it had been “really tough” for him, Matt added: “I’m just trying to do rehab all the time and stretch and do strength training exercises and that.”
Matt, who used to be a gymnast, experienced significant difficulty with the inflexibility resulting from the hernia, particularly in light of his athletic background. In February 2024, he revealed he “decided to have a nerve block injection”.
“For a long time now, I’ve been dealing with a herniated disc. As an ex-gymnast, it’s hard not to be able to bend forward, so I decided to have a nerve block injection,” he wrote on Instagram.
“What a brilliant surgeon and lovely NHS team it was that did my treatment. Thank you all! (Also, a big thanks to the nurse who used to watch me on Blue Peter – the buttered toast was amazing).”
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‘I can’t tell you how upsetting it is as an ex-gymnast’
During an appearance on Gabby Logan’s Mid Point podcast in March 2024, the presenter asked Matt if he could still do backflips.
In response, he said: “No, I can’t now. I’ve injured my back. I can’t tell you how upsetting it is as an ex-gymnast, not to be able to bend forward.”
He continued: “I did my back in. I was doing a panto. I was doing Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and we were practising with the stunt chairs, and the chair wasn’t set correctly and bang!”
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