Matt Baker has discussed the hardest thing about having dyslexia (Image: Getty)
TV presenter has opened up about what it has been like for him to live with dyslexia and explained how it taught him never to give up during a glowing career in television.
The Countryfile presenter told Woman’s Weekly that being neurodivergent has shaped his existence and enabled him to keep pushing on in a career that has seen him a enjoy a string of successes on programmes such as Our Farm in the Dales, The One Show, Blue Peter, and Travels with Mum and Dad.
On how dyslexia affects his life, said: “The fundamentals of learning are the hardest things for us, and we will never be able to do them. That’s the lesson you learn, to just keep trying and never stop. And then when you apply that to the rest of life, you’re not put off by disappointment. Failure weirdly doesn’t register with you.
“It’s funny, because when you ask what’s the biggest mistake I’ve made, I actually don’t notice them. They’re just part of the learning. My dad’s dyslexic, my son’s dyslexic. And it’s just not an issue for us.”
Matt Baker (Image: BBC)
This isn’t the first time has talked about the impact of dyslexia on his life. In 2022 he told that he found some elements of his life difficult to manage because of the dyslexia.
He recalled: “Reading was always an issue and even now, reading aloud is a nightmare. No matter how hard I try, I can’t read aloud.
“The scariest thing someone can do to me is hand me an email on live television and ask me to read it out. It does something to me. It’s absolutely petrifying. Whatever I read, I learn. I block it all out in ways which means I can recognise sentences.”
Despite the challenges, dyslexia has posed to Matt he said one unusual side effect had been to “inadvertently” gift him “with an interview style people seem to find relaxing”.
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isn’t the only celebrity to have discussed the impact of dyslexia on their life and how it acted as both a barrier and enabler to their success.
Three time Formula 1 World Champion revealed his own diagnosis in a documentary made about the Scotsman in the early-2020s. Reflecting on his inability to read or write in 2022 to , he said: “I still can’t read and write correctly.
“I still don’t know the national anthem or the lord’s prayer. I’m an extreme dyslexic as are a whole load of other people. I left school at 15 with no education but I was good with my hands and a good mechanic.”
Now a campaigner for dyslexia as well as dementia awareness, Jackie has worked hard to dispel any belief that being neurodivergent should be any barrier to life success.