The odds of Helen Skelton winning Strictly Come Dancing have been slashed, as the TV presenter tries to overcome a crisis of confidence on the BBC show.
While bookmakers have rated Helen's chances of doing well in the ballroom highly, since she became the last celeb to be confirmed for the new series, Helen has been crippled with self-doubt from the get-go. After she made her debut on Strictly's first live show of 2022 last month, it emerged that the former Blue Peter star had got so worked up in rehearsals that she made a hasty exit through a fire door, before being talked into returning by her pro dance partner Gorka Marquez.
As the couple prepared to dance a cha cha cha to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's Rain on Me at the weekend, a VT played out on screen showing Gorka taking drastic measures to boost Helen's confidence in rehearsals. The unconventional move saw former Strictly finalist Gorka surround Helen with mirrors, forcing her to watch herself as she danced.
He implored her to "be sexy for herself," and Helen cut a stunning figure as she took to the dancefloor in front of the judges, studio audience and millions of viewers at home as she and Gorka earned themselves a score of 27 out of 40.
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And, while that put them behind rivals like Richie Anderson, Tyler West and Molly Rainford, bookies are backing Helen to stay on the show for a long while yet. Despite the fact that his scores took a dive in week two, Will Mellor remains favourite to win with bookies Betfair, but Helen is hot on his tail, after her odds were slashed from 9/2 to 7/2.
Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: “Things are shaking up a little after week two saw Kaye Adams leave the show. Will Mellor remains the favourite but has seen his odds drift slightly to 5/2 from 6/4, denting his tag as the clear favourite to win the show that audiences might have thought he was after an impressive showing in the first week.
“Molly Rainford is impressing many and is jumping forward in the market after being at considerable odds of 16/1 before punters backed her into 8/1.”
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