Dan Walker: Presenter on his favourite Sheffield spots - including Domo, Marmadukes, True Loves, and Prithiraj

Sarah and I have been married for 20 years and we have three gorgeous children - Susie, Jessica and Joe.

My wife is a Sheffield lass and I was a student here and we moved back here over a decade ago to raise our family.

We have lived all over the place but Sheffield definitely feels like home.

It was always my dream to be a professional sportsman but I wasn’t good enough and I was turned down for being a teacher for being ‘too immature’ so I went into broadcasting instead. I love my job and enjoy the fact that it is so varied.

Away from work I love watching and playing sport - particularly golf and football.

I enjoy walking our dog Winnie and I also quite like dancing now after enjoying Strictly so much last year.

As a family, we love trips to the theatre and we are involved in our local church too.

How long have you lived in Sheffield?

I have lived in Sheffield for about half my life now. I was born in Crawley in West Sussex - about half way between London and Brighton - and have lived in Liverpool, Manchester and London over the years.

We love Sheffield and I think you only see how great it is when you spend some time here.

It’s a big city but doesn’t feel like it and it’s been great to see the city develop over the last decade as a really cool and confident place to live packed with friendly people.

What does a normal weekend include for you?

Before lockdown, Football Focus was the centrepiece of my working weekend.

I presented the show for 12 years and loved every second of it. I think I worked out that I only had two Saturdays off in 20 about years which is one of the reasons I don’t work Sundays. Sunday is packed with family, church and friends.

It takes a bit of time to get used to having a ‘normal’ weekend after working for so many of them.

I have missed an awful lot of weddings over the years.

Where is your favourite place to eat?

There are so many great places in Sheffield. Kelham Island is packed with them.

I love going out for breakfast at places like Marmadukes.

Uncle Sams has long been a family favourite but, as a man who loves his curry, Prithi Raj on Ecclesall Road would be my number one.

I’ve got to know the guys in there well and the food is amazing, they are so supportive of the Children’s Hospital and, because we took Nadiya there during Strictly, they even named a curry after me! I’m Prithi Raj for life.

Where is your favourite place to visit?

One of the best things about Sheffield is that you’re so close to the great outdoors. We love a wander in the Peak District… Stannage Pole, Burbage Edge and Padley Gorge are big family favourites, as long as it involves a chip butty from Grindleford Cafe.

We have a dog who needs walking so we love taking her out for a little wander.

We also love going to the theatre and it’s brilliant to have The Crucible and The Lyceum on our doorsteps.

Where would you go on a night out?

What’s that? Things have changed a little bit since my student days in Sheffield. They normally involved a visit to a late night kebab stall.

Our kids love going to the cinema so I think a great family night out these days would involve a trip to the cinema and a meal somewhere beforehand.

If I was taking Mrs Walker out somewhere special we might go to Domo in Kelham Island or True Loves down by Victoria Quays.

Which three words sum up your weekend in Sheffield

The Best City – or Fun, food, family