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Leeds Live

Entertainment

Monde Mwitumwa

Strictly Come Dancing Helen Skelton's life from age, children and split from Richie Myler

Helen Skelton Richie Myler Gorka Márquez Countryfile

Helen Skelton is a familiar face on British telly thanks to her appearances on various programmes over the past decade.

The TV presenter, aged 39, is best known for presenting children's programmes Newsround and Blue Peter as well as BBC One’s Countryfile.

She replaced Zoe Salmon on Blue Peter in 2008 and became the 33rd presenter for the programme. However left the show in August 2013 and was replaced by Radzi Chinyanganya.

She later became a presenter of live FA Women's Super League and later moved onto Countryfile. The star is now competing in BBC One hit dancing show Strictly Come Dancing. She was the Final contestant confirmed for the competition.

The Countryfile star is partnered with professional dancer Gorka Márquez and the pair have wowed judges with their dances.

Before her first live performance she admitted that it was out of her comfort zone and said she cried before the performance. It was Gorka, 32, who gently coaxed her back inside.

However it’s not the first time she has appeared on the BBC show. In 2012, the star took part in a Christmas special edition of Strictly Come Dancing.

Helen Skelton’s dance background

Weeks before joining Strictly Helen Skelton had found herself at the centre of a ‘fix’ scandal. Some viewers questioned if she might have too much of an upper hand after it was revealed that she is a qualified tap dance teacher.

She has in fact won a dance competition in her teenage years - she won the The Ken Dodd Tap Dancing Award 22 years ago.

Back in 2016 when asked to reveal a secret about herself in an interview, ex-Blue Peter favourite Helen replied: “I won a Ken Dodd tap-dance award when I was 17,” The Sun reports.

She later said: “Not a lot of people know this, but I’m very good at tap dancing. People are often amazed I can tap dance.”

Helen’s forgotten Corrie role

Before her presenting career Helen tried her hand at acting and secured a few TV acting jobs. Her first big break came on the ITV favourite Coronation Street, where she played a supporting role in 1999 while studying at university.

Speaking to Express Helen said that she used her acting experience as a way to help her learn more about the world of TV, and also to help pay for her studies. “I grew up on a real farm in Cumbria and had the chance to work as an extra on Corrie and it was brilliant, because it allowed me to learn the conversation of telly.”

Is Helen Skelton Married and does she have children?

Helen Skelton's marriage to Leeds Rhinos star Richie Myler ended after eight years. The Countryfile star made the shock announcement just four months after the birth of their third child - and has since been seen without her wedding ring.

Myler has begun a new relationship with Stephanie Thirkhill, the daughter of multi-millionaire Leeds businessman and Rhinos president Andrew Thirkill.

Richie has claimed that there was no crossover, and that he began the relationship with Stephanie after his marriage finished.

Helen and Richie Myler tied the knot in 2013 and gave birth to their first child Ernie in 2015. Their second son Louis was born in 2017, and their first daughter Elsie was born in December 2021. However, just a few months later, Helen revealed that she had split from her husband.

In an emotional social media post, Helen said: "Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple. He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children."

Helen Skelton's net worth

According to celebritynetworth.com, Skelton has a net worth of £4.7 million. This follows an impressive career in journalism and presenting major shows as well as sporting events.