As Alison Hammond once proved, daytime TV and open expanses of water can be a dangerous combination. 

But someone clearly didn’t tell John Whaite that. 

The Great British Bake Off winner was roped into trying paddle boarding live on Steph’s Packed Lunch on Wednesday, and it doesn’t take a genius to predict how things turned out. 

While John avoided disaster during an earlier segment on the water sport, things went a lot less to plan as host Steph McGovern threw to him in Leeds Dock to trail a cookery item he had coming up after the break. 

After trying to stand up on the board, a very wobbly John soon found himself crashing into the water. 

Gasps and laughter could be heard back in the studio, as Steph said: “I don’t know if he can swim! Can he swim?! Someone throw a ring at him!”

Following the commercial break, John appeared back in the studio in a dressing gown for his cookery slot. 

Speaking about his unexpected dip, he said: “It was very bracing, but I only had three hours sleep last night, so it was a wake up call. I was quite grateful for that. I was falling asleep, no offence.

“I’m very tired, but I feel great now. I’m very moist.”

He continued: “When I was in the water I did actually get quite scared because I thought about a shark. I know there’s no sharks in the canal, but it wouldn’t be the first time a whale had wondered…”

Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4.