Former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker was rushed to hospital after his kidneys stopped working and a consultant discovered a tumour in his stomach.

Dan Walker opened up about his cancer horror. (Image: ITV)

Dan Walker was rushed to hospital after his kidneys stopped working and his head swelled to twice its normal size. The dreadful ordeal occurred when the ex-BBC Breakfast host was told he had a tumour in his stomach while working in Poland.

The Channel 5 News presenter recounted: “I was in Poland a few years ago covering the European Championships and I had a slightly strange lump in my stomach.” He noticed changes in his breathing and sought help from the medical team in the broadcast centre. He added: “Within two and a half minutes I was in the back of an ambulance on my way to a Polish A&E.”

Dan Walker had to be rushed to A&E. (Image: Getty)

Dan lauded BBC Match of the Day editor Richard Hughes for his immediate assistance, saying he “dropped everything” to be there for him.

Reflecting on the 2012 experience, he told Kate Thornton on her White Wine Question Time podcast: “You know times in life when you think sometimes you just need someone to hold your hand. It did get a bit scary that night.”

The situation escalated when a Polish consultant delivered frightening news at 2 am, telling Dan he had cancer after observing shadows on his kidney.

In disbelief after hearing the word “tumour”, Dan asked the accompanying translator to confirm the diagnosis, only to be stunned by the translation: “He thinks you’ve got cancer in your kidney.”

Dan Walker was stunned by what the doctor had said. (Image: Getty)

Dan revealed his kidneys almost stopped working and his head swelled so dramatically it was double the size. His body was so severely bloated that he was forced to walk around without clothes as he couldn’t fit into his boxer shorts.

During his hospital stay, Dan requested that the head consultant review his scan to confirm the cancer diagnosis before breaking the news to his family.

Thankfully, it was later determined that the mass was not a tumour but rather a viral infection that had severely impacted his kidneys.

Dan recounted the consultant’s explanation: “There were a series of black shadows on my kidneys. Because they went down to about 30 percent functionality, so I had this weird sort of virus that had really affected them.”

Dan Walker took time away from Channel 5 News after suffering a painful injury. (Image: Instagram)

To treat the condition, medical staff administered eight litres of saline solution to stimulate his kidneys. After approximately 48 hours, his kidneys began functioning again, and his body returned to its normal size.

This isn’t the only health woe the Classic FM host has endured. He disclosed that he continued to grapple with nerve damage resulting from a severe bicycle accident in 2023, which left him badly bruised.

The following year, Dan took weeks off work and couldn’t play golf for over two months after he tore multiple ligaments in his wrists.