HELEN SKELTON has opened up for the first time about how she was blindsided by her husband leaving her for another woman – but credits Strictly for making her feel sexy again.
The former Countryfile presenter, 40, split from Richie Myler, 33, in April last year after more than eight years of marriage and shortly after the birth of their third child.
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Former Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton opens up about her marriage in new autobiography In My StrideCredit: In My Stride
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And she credits Strictly with making her feel sexy again Credit: BBC
The rugby league ace started dating Stephanie Thirkill, whose millionaire father Andrew Thirkill is chairman of Richie’s Leeds Rhinos club.
And the couple has since had a child of their own.
Helen’s heartache prompted her decision to sign up for Strictly last year, hoping the show’s grueling rehearsals and pressure to perform would distract her from the split.
But she admits she initially found it difficult to impress dance partner Gorka Marquez due to her inability to feel sexy, as her failed marriage, along with having three children in six years, destroyed her confidence.
And her lack of swagger had a profound effect on their early routines as Helen desperately tried to prove she wasn’t a “bruised bride”.
In her new autobiography, In My Stride, which came out today, she says: “In the second week, Gorka asked me why I didn’t feel sexy.
“It was an awkward question that immediately made me cringe.
“Why are you asking me that?! I was just there for a joke. I was never sexy, I was a cute and funny guy.
“He asked a woman with three children under the age of six, whose husband had just left her and was with another woman, TO BE SEXY.
“I thought, ‘Who would feel good in that scenario?'”
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The show gave her a huge confidence boostCredit: BBC
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But she admits that at first it was difficult for her to impress her dance partner GorkaZasluga: helenskelton/Instagram
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But in the end, she found the courage to rediscover her sexy side during the show Credit: helenskelton/Instagram
However, Helen admits her confidence grew with each week she progressed in the competition.
She finally plucked up the courage to strap on a sexy routine of Mein Herr, from Cabaret, for Musical Week, where she channeled the spirit of Sally Bowles, a “disgusting survivor” like herself.
Her choreographer told her that dancing would present her own “fuck you” moment, allowing her to get over her breakup anxiety and rediscover her sexy side.
Helen said: “We found a dance that allowed me to own my moment and be the boss.”
The routine was her breakout moment on the show and drew an overwhelmingly positive response from judges, viewers and fellow dancers – as well as others who endured similar pain.
Helen recalls how a crying Strictly dancer came up to her afterwards, gave her a big hug and said: “You’ve done it for all of us.”
Weeks earlier, Gorka stunned viewers by paying tribute to Helen in the week her ex-partner revealed she was expecting a child with his new lover.
The Spaniard said: “Can I just say something? I know you’ve had a hard time and maybe you don’t feel like you’re good enough or beautiful enough.
“Even if you don’t believe in yourself, I believe in you, your family believes in you. Everyone here believes in you.”
After cheering on the dancers and encouraging co-host Claudia Winkleman, he continued: “It doesn’t matter how many times someone tells you to believe in yourself, only you can make a difference.
“You are an amazing wife, mother and an amazing dancer, so believe in yourself.”
Helen — who finished runner-up in the series behind Glitterball champion Hamza Yassin — revealed she was “dying inside” during his speech and “wished he would shut up”.
But she admitted that she also wanted to hug him for such public support.
And she found herself in a far better place after the competition than when she started, still cleansed of fresh heartache.
The former host of Blue Peter remained tight-lipped about the reasons for her separation from Richie.
But in her memoirs, she reveals that his decision to leave their marital home and start a new relationship completely surprised her.
She has just given birth to daughter Elsie, now 22 months, and the couple have been renovating the Leeds property they recently bought. Helen writes about the breakup: “I was in shock.
“I know that after a breakup people often say that they didn’t expect it to come and it sounds like a cliché, but that was me.”
She fears that she may have been “intoxicated” by her children, work and projects around the house and that she missed the “signs” that the marriage was not working – or simply “ignored” them.
Helen also explains that she was so devastated by the split that she struggled to tell her parents – keeping it from them for a while because she didn’t want to “cause” them pain.
“Focus on my children”
The truth only came out when her father noticed Helen spending time alone in her matrimonial home with her children and made a surprise visit from Cumbria to check on her.
She writes: “He jumped right in, knowing I needed him, even though I didn’t want to admit it.”
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She split from Richie Myler shortly after the birth of their third childCredit: Getty
Helena’s parents, as well as her close circle of friends, became her rock, helping with childcare, but also providing a shoulder to cry on.
After signing up for Strictly, she made the decision to move back to Cumbria and live with her mum and dad, who could look after her children.
Sons Ernie, eight, and Louis, six, moved schools while she rehearsed and traveled to London for Saturday night shows at Elstree Studios.
They all slept in the same bedroom, which is what her father wanted to tell friends who saw a story in the press saying his daughter was worth £6m.
In her book, Helen quotes him as replying, “If she is, why is she sleeping in my back room with her three children? He better start paying child support.”
After finishing Strictly, the star moved into a new rental property nearby with her children.
But it wasn’t long before she made another big decision — to quit her job at Radio 5 Live.
Helen hosted a Sunday morning show with Steve Crossman for a year, but she couldn’t bear to see her sons play sports without her watching from the sidelines.
In a heart-to-heart with 5 Live boss Heidi Dawson, she said: “She knew I couldn’t be good at my job if I didn’t have a happy life.”
Despite falling out with Richie, who has also kept quiet about the split, she refuses to erase the memory of him from her social media accounts.
She still has pictures of the couple in happier times on her Instagram because she is determined that her children should remember that they were together.
And she wants her ex to remain a constant presence in her life and the lives of their children.
Helen says: “I want them to know that we loved each other, but things change and that’s okay too.”
The TV presenter insists that she is in no rush to find a new boyfriend, despite constant pressure from her friends.
She said she’s regularly told a new partner won’t be far away, but finding love again isn’t something she deeply craves — or needs.
He adds: “I want to enjoy this moment of focusing on my children and my career. I don’t need to try to find the energy I don’t have for a new relationship.”
- In My Stride: Lessons Learned Through Life And Adventure, by Helen Skelton, (Headline Publishing Group) is available now priced £18.25.
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Helen reveals the unforgettable experience of meeting then Prime Minister David CameronCredit: Getty
HELEN recalls the humiliating moment she accidentally flashed her panties to then-Prime Minister David Cameron on live TV.
In her book, she tells how a gust of wind lifted her skirt just before she was about to interview him at the 2012 London Olympics.
Helen describes how the crowd that gathered on The Mall in London to watch cheered – but she thought they were cheering for the politician, leading her to believe he was more popular than she thought.
However, she quickly concluded that SHE was the cause of the anger.
Helen writes: “He looked at me, pointed to my skirt and said, ‘Well done’. And I thought, ‘What on earth is he talking about?'”
It was only after fellow TV presenter Ben Shephard took her out for a drink and explained what had really happened that an unsuspecting Helen found out she had flashed the former Tory leader.
Now that he can joke about it, he admits that he really regrets one day – his choice of underwear.
She adds: “I didn’t wash myself, so they were my big apple catchers.”
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education