Helen Skelton has broken her silence on her split from Richie Myler and admitted that she “didn’t see it coming”.
The former Strictly Come Dancing and Blue Peter star split from rugby player Myler, 33, last April, five months after welcoming their third child together and eight years of marriage.
Following their split, the rugby league player swiftly moved on with Stephanie Thirkill, the daughter of Leeds Rhinos owner Andrew Thirkill. The pair had their first child together earlier this year.
And now the Countryfile host has discussed the difficult period of her life in her new autobiography, In My Stride, and said she wants to remain amicable with Myler for the sake of their children – Ernie, eight, Louis, six, and 22-month-old daughter Elsie.
In an extract from the book obtained by The Sun, the BBC star writes about the breakdown of her marriage, admitting: “I was in shock.
“I know that following break-ups, people often say they didn’t see it coming and it sounds like a cliche, but that was me.”
In the immediate aftermath, the TV host explained that she was so distraught that she couldn’t tell her parents.
However, when her father noticed her spending a lot of time on her own with the kids, he surprised her with a visit from Cumbria and “immediately stepped in, knowing I needed him, even though I didn’t want to admit it”.
Despite the upset of their split, Skeleton explained that she’s refusing to delete pictures of herself and Myler from happier times on Instagram, so their children know “we loved each other”.
She reflects: “I want them to know that we loved each other, but things change and that’s OK too.”
While Skelton has rarely spoken out about the break-up prior to her book, she had admitted that she took part in last year’s Strictly because her marriage ended.
“I did Strictly this year because sometimes you just need to jump on the opportunity and chance to put a big smile on your face,” she said.
When asked how she felt about the news that Myler was set to welcome a new baby this year, she told the Telegraph: “You cannot have any opinion on anyone else’s life until you’ve walked in those shoes.”
