Countryfile’s Matt Baker admits ‘we’re chalk and cheese’ as he fires cheeky dig at wife

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Countryfile and ex-Blue Peter star Matt Baker shared details about his relationship with his wife, Nicola Mooney, to Gabby Logan during an episode of The MidPoint podcast.

He cheekily admitted that they are like “chalk and cheese” due to their differing interests. During the conversation, Gabby inquired about Nicola’s “midlife shift”, leading to a discussion about her love for literature.

Matt confessed he isn’t much of a bookworm himself. He stated: “Yeah, well, she’s written all of her life, and 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. I suppose it’s similar for you and Kenny because you’re so kind of academic in that respect.

“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.”

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Matt said his wife has “written all of her life”(Image: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Matt compared his wife to Gabby, saying she “does her homework”. He also shared that Nicola received praise for her English exam during her GCSEs.

He mentioned it was “given as the example of how you do an English exam”. The former One Show host shared that her career path led her to physiotherapy, but his book-loving wife “never stopped writing”.

Matt revealed: “But I mean, we have got novels coming out of our ears at home like that she’s written. And when we started doing our… yeah, not showing it, just family and friends, you know.

“She’ll write stuff and people read it, and it’s brilliant. I mean, really wonderful stuff. And not that I’d have read them.”

County Durham-born Matt has recently returned for a new season of his show, Travels with Mum & Dad, which sees him exploring the country with his farming parents, Mike and Janice.

Matt said his wife was a “swot” when she was younger(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Mike initially ran a newsagent’s and resided in a smallholding in the village of Easington before the family relocated to Durham to start a sheep farm, with his mum eager to move to the countryside.

In conversation with the Journal, Matt said: “She was adopted and doesn’t know much about her background but she was drawn to the countryside.

“Before we moved she said ‘this is the time’. It’s a beautiful part of the world.”

You can catch Matt next on Countryfile on BBC One on Sunday, September 15th, from 7pm to 8pm.