It's been a rollercoaster year for Helen Skelton.
Her world was shattered when her Leeds Rhinos rugby star husband Richie Myler walked out on their marriage back in April when their youngest child was just four months old.
Adding to her pain, it soon emerged that he'd moved on with Stephanie Thirkill, the daughter of his club's president Andrew Thirkill. She is now expecting their first child together.
But refusing to be beaten down, Helen, 39, bounced back with an epic run on Strictly Come Dancing, making the final alongside Gorka Marquez and undergoing a transformation in the process.
Talking about rediscovering her confidence on It Takes Two, she said: "I came into this and I underestimated it, because I thought, 'It's dancing and nice dresses and interesting people'.
"But it's weird, it's so much more than that. It makes you ask questions of yourself that you don't ask.
"I'm a 39-year-old woman with three kids and you do your job and your relationships and your house and your career and all of that – and you don't really just challenge yourself and find joy in yourself.
"So it's been a rollercoaster of emotions that I didn't expect."
Revealing that her dad was delighted to see glimpses of the old Helen, she fought back tears as she told the BBC One show: "He just looked at me and said 'you seem like you again,' and I'm certainly a different person than when we started."
After Strictly wrapped, Helen headed back home to her parents' farm in Cumbria, where she and her three children have been living since the split.
Fully embracing her first Christmas as a single parent, she took Ernie, seven, Louis, five, and one-year-old Elsie to see Father Christmas before hosting a 'chaotic' first birthday party for her daughter.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, the Countryfile star, 39, captioned pictures of the fun-filled party with: "A wolf in a tantrum, a Spidergirl needing balloons and lost cricket gloves. All the chaos."
And eagle-eyes fans are convinced they spotted ex Richie in the snaps. "All the love baby girl," she added alongside the picture in which a man, who appeared similar to her ex Richie, was stood alongside the youngsters.
After a turbulent 12 months, Helen shared her pal's emotional tribute to Elsie on Instagram .
Sharing an adorable black and white pic of Helen's third born, Stevie Atkins, who is married to rugby player Ryan Atkins, wrote: "Happy first birthday to you Elsie.
"You are the most adorable little girl who stole our hearts the second we laid eyes on you. We hope your day is fun and everything you deserve it to be.
Addressing Helen, Stevie also paid tribute to her 'super mummy' pal.
"Happy birthing day to you too super mummy @helenskelton. Love you more than words can say. Have a glass of champagne for me too today, mwah x," she added.
Meanwhile, the future is looking even brighter for former Blue Peter star Helen following her Strictly stint, with reports claiming she and co-star Hamza Yassin are set to land a six-figure deal to keep her at the BBC.
A source told The Sun: "Helen are Hamza are well thought of at the BBC and the executives are delighted at how the show has boosted their profiles.
"They've wanted some sensational stars to emerge in Strictly this year. Viewers seem to have thrown their support behind Helen and Hamza in a way few other finalists have enjoyed. The Beeb are keen to build on that and make sure they stay with the BBC, which is where they've both developed their careers so far.
"They are both highly valued, even though their careers are at very different stages. She's a well-known face on our screens while he is a little-known presenter at this stage."
