Matt Baker has become the latest celebrity to self-isolate due to coronavirus symptoms in his family. The dad-of-two was missing from The One Show sofa on Tuesday, but made several appearances on the BBC One programme via video link from home. His absence was announced at the beginning of the show, and also with fans on Twitter in a tweet which read: "Tonight @missalexjones will be holding down the fort as Matt Baker is now self-isolating due to symptoms in his household. But don't worry Bakerettes, we can still hear from him!" While Matt wasn't in the studio, his appearance from home was a light relief for viewers, as he was joined by his adorable dog, Bob.
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© Photo: BBCMatt Baker presented The One Show via a video link on Tuesday's show
The former Blue Peter presenter is following the current guidelines from the government concerning the COVID-19 outbreak, which state that families should stay at home for 14 days if anyone displays any of the common symptoms of the coronavirus. Matt lives in Hertfordshire with his wife Nicola Mooney and their two young children, Molly and Luke.
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The family live on a farm, where everyone gets stuck in doing the daily chores. The star previously wrote a day in the life diary for Countryfile's website, and detailed some of the activities his kids enjoy doing, such as numbering the sheep with a can of spray paint, and feeding the herd. Matt often gives his Instagram followers glimpses inside his family life on the farm, and has previously shared an amusing snap showing how one of their sheep had managed to get inside their house. Posting a photo of the animal standing inside his utility room, Matt wrote: "Just rang home – my daughter said 'mum's going to send you a picture of the utility room…don't worry everything is now sorted."
© Photo: BBCMatt with his co-star Alex Jones
Matt announced in December that he will be leaving The One Show on 31 March. The star revealed that he would be leaving the BBC One programme after nine years so that he could spend more time with his loved ones. Appearing alongside one of his co-hosts Angellica Bell, Matt told viewers: "At this time of year, I like to take stock and reflect. The One Show has been a massive part of my life for almost a decade now and I have loved every second of being a part of it. But I am going to be leaving this green sofa in the spring."
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He continued: "Of course I'd like to thank Alex, who I've shared this sofa with for all these years. And the teams of people who work on this show all around the UK, the ones who you do not get to see; the researchers, the producers, the studio crew, everyone that makes this show feel like a massive family. And I'm going to miss you all very much indeed. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart."
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