Home Life Style Dan Walker opens up about his out-of-body experience during near-fatal bike accident and admits part of him ‘genuinely thought’ he was dying

Dan Walker opens up about his out-of-body experience during near-fatal bike accident and admits part of him ‘genuinely thought’ he was dying

by Merry
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Dan Walker has shed light on his potential

Dan Walker has shed light on the “out-of-body experience” he went through after his near-fatal bicycle accident last year.

The presenter, 46, was hit by a car while cycling in Sheffield, near his family home, in February 2023.

The accident left him battered and bruised with a bloody face, but fortunately he was lucky to avoid serious injuries.

During the accident, Dan also went through something very close to an “out-of-body experience,” and said that while he “don’t know” if it was spiritual, a part of him “really thought it was.”

Dan, who is a devout Christian, said The times in a new interview: ‘In my mind I was cycling down a French boulevard, a tree-lined boulevard, which I think I had been on before, but not on a bicycle.

Dan Walker opens up about his out of body experience during near fatal

Dan Walker has shed light on his potential “out-of-body experience” following his near-fatal bicycle accident last year. Pictured: In the ambulance after the incident, which left him battered and bruised with a bloody face.

Dan (pictured on Tuesday) has revealed that it took him many months to recover as the nerve damage suffered from the accident made it difficult for him to get out of his car.

Dan (pictured on Tuesday) has revealed that it took him many months to recover as the nerve damage suffered from the accident made it difficult for him to get out of his car.

Dan (pictured on Tuesday) has revealed that it took him many months to recover as the nerve damage suffered from the accident made it difficult for him to get out of his car.

‘Then all of a sudden I was looking at myself on the floor, looking at a screen, and then on that screen I saw these two heads appear. And then I jumped back in and I was on the ground and those two faces were the ambulance workers.

In the end, he did not ask the police to press charges, although at the time he felt “that was it.”

However, he continues to feel the impact of the accident on a daily basis and has difficulty getting out of his car due to nerve damage.

While he didn’t break any bones, the car only stopped 50cm from his head and he narrowly avoided lasting injuries.

Dan is the new presenter of Classic FM’s revamped breakfast show after joining the team in January.

As he starts early, he spends much of the week away from his wife Sarah and their three children: Susannah, 16, Jessica, 14, and Joe, 13.

The former TV football presenter co-hosted BBC Breakfast for six years before moving to Channel 5 and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2021, where he was paired with Nadiya Bychkova.

Dan appears on his bike for the first time after the accident with a new helmet

Dan appears on his bike for the first time after the accident with a new helmet

Dan appears on his bike for the first time after the accident with a new helmet

The accident left him battered and bruised with a bloody face, but fortunately, Dan was lucky to avoid serious injury.

The accident left him battered and bruised with a bloody face, but fortunately, Dan was lucky to avoid serious injury.

The accident left him battered and bruised with a bloody face, but fortunately, Dan was lucky to avoid serious injury.

1708612150 368 Dan Walker opens up about his out of body experience during near fatal

1708612150 368 Dan Walker opens up about his out of body experience during near fatal

Dan said: “I had a strange experience where I was looking at myself on the ground and I finally came back to my body… It was kind of a reset moment for me.”

Dan is the new presenter of Classic FM's morning breakfast show, airing from 6.30am

Dan is the new presenter of Classic FM's morning breakfast show, airing from 6.30am

Dan is the new presenter of Classic FM’s morning breakfast show, airing from 6.30am

At the time of the bike accident, Dan told his fans the news of his accident via an Instagram post hours after the incident, commenting that he was “glad to be alive.”

He later tweeted a selfie of his swollen and cut face, accompanied by a bloody white shirt, saying he “doesn’t remember anything.”

Walker said: “There was a small accident this morning. I’m glad to be alive after being hit by a car on my bike. The face is a mess but I don’t think anything is broken.’

‘Impressed by all the lovely messages. Thank you. I just got home from the hospital. Battered and bruised but, surprisingly, nothing broken. Very grateful to continue here. I don’t remember anything and I only remember being on the track with paramedics and police around me.

‘Thank you to Shaun and Jamie for helping me and the lovely police officer on the scene. This is my smile of gratitude for our NHS (sic).’

Days after the accident, Dan admitted that wearing a cycling helmet had probably helped save his life and avoid irreversible injuries, something he has now confessed led to other cyclists calling him a “disgrace.”

During his recovery process, the English journalist thanked one particular support, his dog Winnie, who helped lift his spirit while he recovered from the accident.

The TV presenter wrote in a Twitter post: ‘Winnie hasn’t left my side this week. She is the best. 2 things happened today… 1. I ate my first solid meal 2. I ordered a new cycling helmet Thank you for all the nice messages for asking how I am. The swelling is going down but the body still hurts (sic).’

1708612150 434 Dan Walker opens up about his out of body experience during near fatal

1708612150 434 Dan Walker opens up about his out of body experience during near fatal

Days after the accident, Dan admitted that wearing a cycling helmet had probably helped save his life and prevent irreversible injuries, but he says cyclists have called him a “disgrace” for saying this.

Painful: cuts on the TV presenter's hand after the terrifying accident

Painful: cuts on the TV presenter's hand after the terrifying accident

Painful: cuts on the TV presenter’s hand after the terrifying accident

“The driver stopped 50cm from my head,” Dan recalls.

“I remember seeing myself on the ground and I was looking at this little white hole on a black screen, then the hole got bigger and bigger and turned into the faces of two paramedics and a police officer.

“That’s when you think about the things you haven’t said or the things you’ve always wanted to do.”

What he actually did was call a family friend of Paul Ansell, Nicola Bulley’s partner whose body had been discovered the previous day, to check that he was okay.

‘I don’t know why I did that. I asked him how the family was. Later that day he called me and said, “Why didn’t you tell me you were in the back of an ambulance with your face covered in blood?”

The TV presenter also revealed he “doesn’t remember” the horror bike accident.

The former BBC presenter limped into his home in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, after his wife Sarah picked him up from the emergency department of their local hospital shortly this afternoon.

Walker has presented BBC Breakfast since 2016 and took part in the 2021 series of Strictly Come Dancing, revealing he signed up for the show to do something “fun” and “have a laugh” after reporting on difficult news during the pandemic.

1708612151 381 Dan Walker opens up about his out of body experience during near fatal

1708612151 381 Dan Walker opens up about his out of body experience during near fatal

Dan said he “broke my watch and phone, ruined my pants” and that his bike was “a mess” after the accident.

He also presented Football Focus for 12 years, as well as regular appearances on Match of the Day, Grand National, Royal Ascot and NFL Show.

In January he became the regular presenter of the weekday breakfast show on Classic FM from 6.30am to 10am.

He said: ‘This is an incredible opportunity to join one of the biggest radio stations in the country.

‘I’m delighted to be able to be part of Classic FM’s brilliant programming and presenting the breakfast show is a wonderful opportunity.

“I’m a passionate classical music fan and a long-time listener. I also love the breakfast crowd and I think they know me well, so I can’t wait to get started.”

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