Countryfile's Matt Baker forced to set record straight on claims he left family farm

Countryfile's Matt Baker has responded to concerned fans who may have believed that he'd abandoned his farming background for a glitzy life in showbiz.

Matt, 46, who also stars in Our Farm in the Dales, has opened up to TV Times about his new reality C4 show, Our Dream Farm, which sees people competing for the opportunity to win a 10-year tenancy on a Northumberland farm.

The former Blue Peter presenter, who grew up on a farm near Durham before rising to fame on Countryfile and BBC's The One Show, admitted that he's rarely been "without a flock of sheep" in his life.

Matt said: "I've never left the family farm, but the general public sees me sitting on The One Show's sofa and thinks, 'Oh, now you live in a town'. But I've only ever lived six months of my life without a flock of sheep."

The good-natured presenter also explained that when it came to helping the competitors on his new show, he "couldn't not get involved" as farmers are a "community".

Our Dream Farm sees contestants fighting it out to win a tenancy on Gallows Hill Farm, which boasts 137 hectares and a Grade II-listed farmhouse, situated in the National Trust's Wallington Estate.

Matt, who continues to work as a farmer, said he wanted to "shine a light" on the tenant-farming system, as there are many people who want to try their hand at farming but cannot afford to buy their own farms.

He described the show as "a bit like The Apprentice" with "real people" and "real ideas", something that is apparently light years away from "Strictly Come Farming".

The former Olympics commentator also said it would be "great" if his teenage children, Luke and Molly, decided to take up farming in the future, but he wouldn't mind what they opted for as long as they "give it their all".

In April, it was revealed that Matt's mother, Janice, had stepped in to help out on the farm because he was facing “complications” during lambing season.

A video showed the pair treating a young lamb who'd sprained its leg, with Janice spotted applying a yellow bandage to the baby animal.

The scenes delighted the public, who were glad to see that Janice had recovered from her own mishap - a broken leg caused by a flock of sheep that had mowed her down on the farm.

Matt also recently explained why he left The One Show in 2020, telling Gabby Logan on the Mid Point podcast in March that he'd been asking himself what was the "point of continuing" with something he'd "done for nine years".

He said at the time: "It was that part of me saying, 'Look, was this ever a goal?', and 'what are you actually working towards?'"

Matt went on to say: "And then I thought, I'm just going to [leave]. I'm just going to go because if I don't, I will probably be here forever."

Matt Baker is appearing on Countryfile tonight at 8pm on BBC One.