At first, Walker’s refusal to work on Sundays made it tough to find a job as a football presenter. Some interviewers thought he was stupid, and others felt sorry for him, he admits. But he persevered and was eventually hired by the BBC. Since 2009, the 6ft 6in married father of three has become familiar to millions – mostly male – as the face of BBC1’s Football Focus.

Dan Walker, most famous for presenting football shows, will be the new face of BBC morning TV

For most of us, the sticking point would be having to get up for work at 3am – even if it was for a plum job on television.

But new BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker was more worried about ensuring that he did not have to work on Sundays.

The 38-year-old, who will take over from Bill Turnbull at the end of this month, has plotted his career around his Christian faith.

As a youngster, he dreamed of being a professional footballer, but turned down invitations from the youth teams of major clubs because they played their matches on Sundays.

And when he became a TV presenter, fronting various sporting events and hosting BBC1’s Football Focus, he struck a deal with bosses that he would never have to work on the Sabbath.

‘I was convinced that it was the right thing to honour God and follow his commandments,’ he said in 2010. ‘Observing the Lord’s Day is a great privilege and brings with it loads of blessings.’

Walker also takes care not to swear, blasphemy or laugh at risque jokes – something that can make life difficult as a broadcaster on live TV.

The son of a Baptist preacher, Walker – who grew up in Crawley, West Sussex – has been a regular churchgoer all his life.

But he did not become devout until he was 12, when a preacher told him about ‘the reality of hell for the unbeliever’.

Walker said: ‘I remember sitting there feeling a deep conviction of sin and terror at the prospect of hell. I knew that I was offending God with the way I was acting and the life I was living, and the prospect of going to hell terrified me.’

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