‘I start at 5 and go to bed at MIDNIGHT!'

Countryfile and former The One Show host Matt Baker reveals how much he relies on his wife and lives by his father’s mantra

- VICKI POWER

You know the saying behind every great man there’s a great woman. Although Matt Baker is far too modest to consider himself a great man, he is happy to concede that he couldn’t do everything he does without wife Nicola.

Their marriage works so well, says the 43-year-old, because they were teen sweethearts. ‘It was the greatest day of my life when I went over and said hello to her when I was 18,’ says Matt, recalling the night he was performing in Cleethorpes with a dance troupe called Disco Inferno (it’s true). They married in 2004 and are parents to Luke, 14, and Molly, 12.

‘I think the secret is that we grew up together and so we’ve been on this journey together,’ continues Matt. ‘Honestly, if Nicola hadn’t helped me, especially with difficulties like my dyslexia, I wouldn’t have got to where I am. She can convert anything I write into something that makes sense and she can do all the things that I’m rubbish at, like keeping organized and writing stuff down. I’m so grateful to her. And she’s a brilliant mum.’

Matt adds that trained physiotherapist Nicola can also sense when her go-getting husband is becoming frazzled from overwork. ‘She’s really good at knowing when things get too much, at telling me to slow down and calm down. Nicola seems to be able to predict what’s down the road before I get to the junction.’