Insiders Reveal Shift Between Walker and Vanderpuije

Loyal viewers of News have been tuning in, over the past few years, to watch two talented and seemingly happy presenters – Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije and  – delivering the headlines of the day.

What they may not have realised, however, was that, behind the scenes in the newsroom, things were falling apart.

While it was once said to be a united and positive workplace, insiders now claim that everything changed when Walker came through the door.

The 49-year-old joined Channel 5 News in 2022 after six years fronting Breakfast, bringing many of his loyal audience with him as he replaced . Walker co-anchored the show alongside Vanderpuije, 47, who had joined from Sky in 2018.

Like most colleagues, Walker and Vanderpuije started on good terms – posing for pictures together at events and sharing them on social media. Then in 2024, Vanderpuije’s time at the channel came to an abrupt end with reports swirling that she had been ousted.

Today the pair had been set to come face-to-face for the first time in two years at an employment tribunal hearing, with Vanderpuije having now accused Walker (along with ITN, which makes Channel 5 News, and Channel 5 owner Paramount) of sexism, misogyny against a black woman and bullying in the workplace – which they strongly deny. Walker chose not to attend the first day of the tribunal.

So what really happened between the presenters in the two years that they sat behind the Channel 5 newsdesk together?

Today, insiders tell the Daily Mail how the company’s loyalties quickly shifted towards Walker when he boosted ratings and how Vanderpuije went from Channel 5 News’ golden girl to being ‘completely isolated’ by those she had worked with for years.

A source explained: ‘Claudia-Liza was loved at Channel 5. She was their top choice to put on camera to replace people like Jeremy Vine when they were off. She was their golden girl.

‘She would never get involved in drama and was not someone to complain. She was easy to work with and everyone got along with her. She was very close to top members of production.

‘The Channel 5 newsroom was always a positive environment to work in. People got along and would go for work drinks.’

They added that Vanderpuije and Sian Williams (who presented Channel 5 News for six years) ‘always got along and never had any issues during their time working together’.

But, the insider claims, the atmosphere in the newsroom changed entirely when Walker arrived.

‘Things changed when Dan Walker came in. The dynamic shifted,’ they said.

‘Dan and Claudia-Liza got along to begin with, and would even go to events together. But it quickly became clear he wanted to be the star of the show and expected to be, since he was coming from BBC News and bringing an audience with him. The ratings went up at Channel 5 when he joined and loyalties shifted to Dan.

‘It was clear that she would be number two. It’s a familiar trait in TV news. It speaks volumes that there has been no replacement for Claudia-Liza as co-presenter.’

Vanderpuije’s rocky relationship with Walker wasn’t the only turbulent experience that she endured during those two years: six months after he joined, she went through heartbreak when her beloved mother passed away. At the time, she was working across Channel 5 News and TalkTV.

After the funeral, she told viewers on the Weekend Breakfast Show on TalkTV: ‘I want to start by saying, apologies for sometimes not being in and not being here. I’ve been going through a lot and I haven’t actually said, I’ve just been keeping it to myself. It’s been quite sad.

‘You don’t want to see a TalkTV presenter crying, like a right wreck on TV, but I think I am ready to explain why. I sadly lost my mother.

‘I was devastated, heartbroken,’ she added. ‘I’ve been living in grief.’

Around the same time, Vanderpuije also went through a divorce. She was married to Aaron Edele Armah, an IT specialist with whom she has two children. By April 2024, she told her Instagram followers she was a ‘divorced single mother’.

While many would be empathetic towards their colleagues during such an emotional and volatile period, insiders revealed to me that this was not the case at Channel 5.

‘Claudia-Liza was going through a tough time with the passing of her mother and her divorce. It took a toll on her, both mentally and physically,’ a source told me.

‘She put it to one side and got on with her job but felt that colleagues had little empathy or understanding during this time, which made her life more difficult. People witnessed Dan’s behaviour towards Claudia-Liza and there was no real support.

‘In the end, she felt completely isolated; she would walk into a room, and people would ignore her. She went from everyone being her friend to having no one.’

It is also believed that a discrepancy between the pair’s salaries could have been to blame for tensions rising.

Walker was signed to Channel 5 News on a more generous package than Vanderpuije, despite their job descriptions being largely the same.

While sources have revealed that Walker’s £500,000-a-year package includes projects in addition to the news bulletin, he still earned more for that role than his female colleague.

This is not the first time Walker has hit headlines for being paid more than his female counterparts. In 2024 it was reported that he had been earning nearly double his BBC co-host Louise Minchin – though then Walker again pointed out he was working across several programmes.

Ms Vanderpuije with Sian Williams, who was replaced by Walker in 2022