Loose Women star Janet Street-Porter has condemned Strictly Come Dancing pro Gorka Marquez branding his passionate speech in defence of Helen Skelton 'uncomfortable' viewing, as he encouraged his celebrity partner to believe in herself.
Helen i s taking part in the new series of Strictly just months after the breakdown of her marriage to rugby star Richie Myler, who is now expecting a child with his new girlfriend and has been candid about her self-confidence battle. Prior to the first live show, Helen walked out of rehearsals via a fire exit and then, weeks later Gorka was forced to surround her with mirrors in rehearsals just to get the ex Blue Peter star to look at herself.
Gorka and Helen returned to the BBC ballroom on Saturday night to perform a pasa doble, which earned them a score of 29 out of 40. And, during their chat with presenter Claudia Winleman, Gorka seized the opportunity to address Helen's lack of confidence and encourage her to have more self belief. With his arm around her, the former finalist said: "Can I just say something? I know you've been having a difficult time and you've been...you may feel like you're not beautiful or good enough or anything, but if you don't believe in yourself, I believe in you; everybody here believes in you."
