Countryfile star Matt Baker relieved he met his wife before TV fame for sweet reason

Matt Baker and his wife have been married for over 20 years (Picture: Can Nguyen/Shutterstock)

Matt Baker has documented the highs and lows of his family life on TV in recent years.

The 47-year-old TV personality first found fame as a Blue Peter co-presenter from 1999 to 2006. Since then, the BBC star has gone on to helm flagship programmes like The One Show and Countryfile.

The most recent season of Countryfile, a show he has been on since 2009, had a shake-up as Vick Hope joined him on screen as a co-host.

He has offered fans some insight into his private life during his three-season Channel 4 show, Matt Baker: Our Farm in the Dales, as he recorded his and family’s move back to his parents’ home in the Dales to help them run the farm.

It came after his mum, Janice, broke her leg after being knocked over by sheep while working on the family estate, although they have since moved back to Heretfordshire.

His wife and children have been with him through thick and thin, but who is Matt married to?

Who is Matt Baker’s wife and how did they meet? Matt and Nicola met in a nightclub as teenagers in the 90s (Picture: James Gourley/BAFTA/REX/Shutterstock)

Matt Baker met his wife, Nicola Mooney, when they were teenagers in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire nightclub Pier 39.

As he recounted to Lorraine last year: ‘I was a gymnast when I was a lot younger and I ended up in a 1970s reenactment group that used to tour night clubs.

‘I ended up in this disco inferno and I was backflipping on stage, I used to dress up in wigs. One of the clubs that we went to was around the northeast in Cleethorpes and Nicola used to go to the nights. 

‘That is how we met. She never knew it was me. I spotted her there, it was love at first sight for me.’

The pair dated for nine years before getting married in 2004, a handful of years into Matt’s TV career kicking off.

In an interview with Express in 2011, Matt explained why he was so lucky to have met Nicola, a former physiotherapist, when he did.

‘I’m so lucky that I met my wife Nicola before any of this telly lark started,’ he said.

Then added: ‘I knew way back then she was the one and I don’t think I could have done all this without her.’

The pair decided to build their lives together in the Chilterns in Heretfordshire before relocating to the Dales with their young family in 2021. Last year, they returned to the Chilterns.

2024 also marked a career pivot for Nicola, who released her children’s book, Finding Hope, which Matt praised on social media, saying he was so ‘proud of her’.

And in an interview on Gabby Logan’s Mid Point podcast, he opened up more about their dynamic as a couple.

He said: ‘It’s amazing how, you know, we are, in many respects, chalk and cheese. Like, I cannot read, and she never stops reading. Do you know what I mean?

‘It’s like these weird sort of magnets that attract you together.’

He later added: ‘And ever since I’ve known Nicola, she’s written and written and written. She’s done it as a hobby, and when she was younger, you know, talk about a swot.’

Have they got any children?

Yes, Matt and Nicola Baker share two children – Luke, 16 and Molly, 14.

Recently, Matt opened up about his hopes for his children growing up in the countryside and working on a farm.

‘We’re fortunate that our children have that kind of upbringing and they understand the kind of responsibility that comes with that, and how helpful and practical it can be. For me, growing up on a farm like that, it made me without question who I am,’ he said during his Channel 4 series.

But in his chat on the Mid Point podcast, he reflected on his changing role as a parent as they grew older.

He shares two teenage children with Nicola (Picture: Paul Stuart/Channel 4)

‘I think that’s the thing with mid-life, your children become so capable that you’re not needed in those same ways anymore, you cheer from the sidelines, you become their biggest supporter.

‘But you’re not needed in the same ways, so what’re you going to do?’

He said that this shift to independence, however, had helped his wife explore new ‘passions’ since she was no longer raising the children full-time.

‘She’s flying now! It’s done her so good. It’s brilliant, I’m so excited for her, I’m so proud of her,’ he said.

Does Matt Baker’s wife have an illness?

No, Nicola has not spoken about being ill in the past.

The Countryfile star, who has a new co-host, has been open about his won struggle with a back injury (Picture: BBC Studios)

However, at the end of last year, Matt himself opened up about his own two-year health battle.

He suffered a slipped disc following a fall onto his coccyx while on stage in 2022 and underwent rehab to recover.

Despite strengthening and stretching exercises, it has still been a struggle.

‘It’s a pain, it’s really challenging to get back and get fully fit again. I’m still like really… yeah, it’s really tough,’ he told The Sun in September.

He added: ‘I’m just trying to do rehab all the time and stretch and do strength training exercises and that.’ The media star once revealed he has even been ‘unable to bend forward.’

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