NSW Premier falls down stairs, breaks back

NSW Premier Mike Baird has fractured his vertebrae after he slipped down the stairs at his home in the middle of the night.

He went down stairs wearing socks with the lights out to get a glass of water late on Monday night when he slipped, Mr Baird wrote on Facebook.

"Yeah, I know…the punchlines for this pretty much write themselves…knock yourselves out."

Surgery wasn't needed, but his recovery is expected to be a slow, he posted on Tuesday morning.