Matt Baker: Six months without sheep was 'worst period' of my life

TV presenter Matt Baker simply cannot live without a flock of sheep.

Best known for his stints on Blue Peter and The One Show, the 45-year-old seems to be a true shepherd at heart, having moved to a farm near Durham with his family aged 10 and never looked back.

Except that time in 1999 when he swapped the lush green hills for London's bustling streets.

Read more: Matt Baker opens up on his 'The One Show' exit: 'I shut my laptop and that was that'

"When I first got the job on Blue Peter, I moved to London for a few months before I realised that I couldn't cope with it at all, so I very quickly moved out," he told The Mirror.

"I've only been six months in my life without a flock of sheep, so that was the worst period of my life really."

The Strictly Come Dancing finalist – in 2010, he was runner-up with professional dancer Aliona Vilani, behind champions Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev – also provided an insight to his home life with wife Nicola Mooney and their two children.

"On a typical day on the farm, we get up nice and early to let the dogs out and check over the sheep," he said. "Then we have seasonal jobs through the day, like lambing or harvesting hay, and do the afternoon feed run."

Read more: Matt Baker, Konnie Huq and Simon Thomas have Blue Peter reunion

Ex-EastEnders actress Tointon recently discussed her Strictly victory on the Celebrity Catch Up: Life After That Thing I Did podcast.

"It's now bald," she said of the Glitterball trophy. "It's a bloomin' bald, grey cardboard ball. I feel like saying to the BBC, 'I need some maintenance on this please! If you can get round here and shimmy it on together again.'

"It should come with a lifetime guarantee."

Watch: Coronation Street's William Roache and presenter Matt Baker honoured at Windsor Castle