Dan Walker backed by Sue Barker who says he is the ‘most courteous and hard-working presenter’ ahead of facing former colleague Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije at tribunal over accusations of sexism, misogyny and bullying

Dan Walker has backed broadcaster Sue Barker, who was accused of sexism, misogyny and bullying by former Channel 5 News leading lady Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije.

Walker will face former co-host Vanderpuije, 47, at a five-week employment tribunal hearing that begins in London next week.

The 49-year-old man is named as a defendant in Ms Vanderpuije’s claims, as well as ITN, which makes Channel 5 News, and Paramount, which owns Channel 5.

The former BBC Breakfast presenter denies all the allegations.

Father-of-three and devout Christian Walker collected evidence from more than 50 character witnesses from footballers, Olympians, BBC journalists and presenters and other colleagues.

And now legendary broadcaster Sue Barker is openly backing her former BBC Sport colleague.

Sue said: ‘I’ve sat next to him many times on production and he’s truly one of the nicest, kindest and hardest-working presenters I’ve ever broadcast with.

To talk SunThe former Sports Question presenter said: ‘I don’t feel like I’ve put my head over the parapet to speak for Dan. I know he will do the same.

‘I’ve sat next to him many times on production and he is truly one of the nicest, kindest and hardest-working presenters I’ve ever broadcast with.

‘When I read what was written in the newspapers on Sunday I was happy to contact him and give him 100 per cent support. ‘I told him to stay strong and that I would help him in any way I could.’

In April 2024, Walker was ‘fully exonerated’ following an investigation into ‘serious misconduct’ at work.

Sources familiar with the investigation said there was no evidence to support the allegations and former Strictly star Walker was co-operating fully.

This investigation is understood to be related to Ms Vanderpuije’s complaints against him, but none have been confirmed.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Dan absolutely denies any form of sexism, misogyny, racism or bullying. It’s been hanging over him for a few years now.

‘Nobody wants that, but he’ll be there to tell the judge the truth.

‘There will be tons of witness statements describing Dan’s character. He was absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of people willing to support him.

‘He was stunned and actually very upset to be accused of such things.’

A new report published this week alleged that Vanderpuije exchanged emails in 2024 when she was banned from the newsroom after filing a complaint, but ultimately lost the support of colleagues who remained largely loyal to Walker.

According to the Times report, ‘at one point the dispute became so heated that Vanderpuije fired ITN’s chief executive, Rachel Corp. ‘He was banned from entering the newsroom by.’

‘Vanderpuije responded by distributing the email exchanges to numerous colleagues.’

In February 2024, the newsreader was offered paid leave by ITN while her complaints were investigated and redundancy counseling continued, The Times reported.

‘When he returned to his desk, he was told to go home ‘as a duty of care to you and others involved,’ the insider said, adding: ‘When he named Dan Walker in court, any sympathy he might have mustered was gone.’

‘He seems like a really good guy deep down. Keeps an eye on other colleagues and junior staff. He is the antidote to all the other star presenters you see on TV. ‘He is the one who benefited from Claudia-Liza’s suspension from the team but it’s a real shame that his name was mentioned in this incident.’

A representative for Vanderpuije told the Daily Mail: ‘Claudia-Liza has been forced to say nothing further about her allegations for legal reasons until the hearing, when they will be put forward by her lawyer along with all supporting evidence. At this point, he looks forward to responding to the criticisms the Defendants have leveled at him through the media.’

Representatives for Walker and ITN have previously been contacted by the Daily Mail for comment.

An ITN spokesman said: ‘This claim, which is completely denied, will be dealt with through the court process.’

Ms Vanderpuije’s allegations follow her departure from Channel 5 in 2024 after presenting news programs for more than five years; The last 12 months have been with former BBC star Walker, 49, who is joining a major coup for the channel in 2023.

Walker will face former co-host Vanderpuije, 47, at a five-week employment tribunal hearing that begins in London next week

An ITN insider told The Times that by bringing in Dan “it was clear he would be number two and wouldn’t get equal pay”. He was automatically pushed aside. This is a familiar feature in TV news.’

Last Sunday, Ms Vanderpuije’s lawyer, Jonathan Coad, who represents disgraced BBC presenter Phillip Schofield, issued a statement on her behalf.

It said: ‘Claudia-Liza claims she was the victim of a false dismissal because, as a whistleblower, she made protected statements alleging that a toxic culture of racism, sexism, misogyny and bullying existed within the Channel 5 Newsroom and that its editorial content reflected its racist culture.

‘In his claims he alleges that ITN and Channel 5 attempted to cover up the racist culture on Channel 5 News, which they tolerated despite it being in breach of their legal obligations.

‘Claudia-Liza has been restrained from saying anything further about her allegations until the hearing for legal reasons.’