Helen Skelton has refused to be dubbed a 'victim' after a challenging year in her personal life. The former Blue Peter presenter has been impressing viewers of Strictly Come Dancing who feel like they have watched her become a new woman throughout her three months in the BBC One dance contest.
On Sunday night, viewers of the hit show saw Helen and professional dancer partner Gorka Marquez perform twice in the semi-final as they made their bid for the Strictly final 2022. The dancing pair kicked off their semi-final with a waltz to Only One Road by Celine Dion. Former Blue Peter presenter Helen wowed fans in an elegant white and gold number as she glided around the ballroom floor with her partner.
The pair then later performed the Argentine tango to Here Comes The Rain Again by Eurythmics. But a wardrobe malfunction occurred as her heel got caught in her stunning blue sequin dress. However, Helen powered through and earned a score of 37 as Shirley gave the lowest score of 8 while Motsi and Anton gave them both a 10.
But away from her new-found prowess on the dance floor, Helen has been healing from her own heartbreak earlier this year. Helen announced back in April that she and husband Richie Myler's eight-year marriage had ended, four months after she gave birth to their third child.
The news came after Helen and Leeds rugby star Richie welcomed their baby daughter Elsie Kate on December 28. They also have two young sons Ernie, seven, and Louis, five. "Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple," the Countryfile host posted at the time.
"He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children." During his Strictly journey, Helen, 39, revealed that she has quit her family home in Leeds to move back in with her parents on their farm in the Lake District.
But speaking to The Telegraph, Helen explained: "I don’t see myself as a victim, no, because I mean, look… There are a lot of people who have been in my situation who haven’t been given the opportunities that I’ve got." The TV and radio star did, however, say that although she had days where she was “[bleep]ed off”, her job has given her a lot of perspective.
"I think mine is a job that gives you lots of perspective, so it’s very difficult to say 'woe is me,'" she said. But Helen has also opened up about her own heartbreaking family tragedy. Helen and her ex named their little girl after one of Helen's family members who sadly passed away.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, the mum-of-three said: "My family are that sort of Cumbrian stoic, stiff upper lip, and if I sat here and talked about it they wouldn’t like it. But it’s a fact, I lost a cousin to breast cancer and I lost a cousin in an accident, and I’m a family person. I had that kind of childhood where I spent summer holidays with all my cousins. And it’s sh*t, there's no two ways about it."
Helen also cried as she told pro dancer Gorka: "I definitely am a different person from when we started," during a recent episode of Strictly. The Countryfile host was emotional as she told how her dad told her "you seemed like you again" after her energetic quickstep to the Amy Winehouse classic Valerie.
During their heart-to-heart, Helen broke down before saying 'sorry' as her dance partener pulled her in for a hug. "I think even you would say I'm a different person from day one right?" she asked dad-of-one Gorka, who agreed with her. "I thought it was just dancing it's so much more than that," Helen beamed about her confidence-building time on the BBC dance show following her split from Richie.
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