Dan Walker accused of 'misogyny and bullying' as former BBC presenter set to face tribunal

Olivia Gantzer
Sun, 12 Apr 2026 16:04:39 +0000

Dan Walker is set to appear before an employment tribunal later this month following accusations of sexism, misogyny and bullying levelled against him by his former Channel 5 News colleague Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije.

The 49-year-old broadcaster, who previously fronted BBC Breakfast, will face his ex-co-presenter at London Central tribunal from April 20, with proceedings anticipated to run for up to four days.

Mail Online reports that Mr Walker, who departed the BBC to join Channel 5 in April 2022, has been named as a respondent alongside ITN, the production company responsible for Channel 5 News, and channel owner Paramount.

Ms Vanderpuije, 47, left the broadcaster in 2023 having spent five years presenting their news programme, with her final twelve months working alongside Mr Walker.

The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant has vehemently rejected all claims made against him.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: "Dan absolutely denies any sexism, misogyny, racism or bullying. It has been hanging over him for some years now."

The insider added: "He will be at London Central tribunal later this month. Nobody wants this but he will be there to tell the judge the truth."

Mr Walker has reportedly amassed more than 50 character witness statements in his defence, with support coming from prominent footballers, Olympic athletes, BBC journalists and presenters, as well as other professional contacts.

"He has been absolutely stunned with the amount of people willing to support him. He has been stunned and actually very upset to be accused of such things," the source continued.

Ms Vanderpuije has engaged Jonathan Coad, the solicitor who previously represented Phillip Schofield, to handle her case.

According to reports, her legal team initially sought compensation of up to £13 million from ITN and Paramount, a demand that was refused.

A further attempt to reach a settlement was made last week, with the figure reduced to £4 million, but this offer was similarly declined by the respondents.

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The rejection of both settlement proposals has resulted in the matter proceeding to tribunal.

Approximately a fortnight ago, Ms Vanderpuije reportedly invited her Instagram followers to contact her directly if they wished to learn more about the allegations she has made.

Mr Walker faced similar scrutiny in 2024 when a workplace investigation was launched into complaints of serious misconduct against him.

The inquiry, which sources indicated related to Ms Vanderpuije's allegations, concluded with the broadcaster being "completely exonerated" after investigators found insufficient evidence to substantiate the claims.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph following the probe's conclusion, Mr Walker said: "That was fully investigated and I was entirely vindicated by an independent inquiry."

He acknowledged the difficulty of awaiting the outcome, adding: "I know I'm not that person... that's a picture you don't recognise, and nobody you've ever worked with recognises."

An ITN spokesperson confirmed to Metro: "This claim, which is denied in full, will be addressed through the tribunal process."

GB News has approached Mr Walker's representatives for a comment on the reports.