Helen Skelton hinted at her split from her ex-husband and rugby player Richie Myler on Strictly Come Dancing. The TV presenter copped it from Craig Revel Horwood on the BBC show last weekend, when the sharp-tongued judge labelled her performance 'rigid' and 'wooden'.
But it's hard to keep a tough cookie like Helen down, reports the Mirror. Despite ex-husband Richie Myler, 32, walking out on their marriage earlier this year, Helen has bounced back in fierce style, quick-stepping her way up the leaderboard and growing in confidence every week.
Leeds Rhinos star Richie is now expecting a baby with Stephanie Thirkill, 32, the daughter of club president Andrew Thirkill. But rather than waste time wallowing, Helen, 39, threw herself feet first into Strictly, which she said has changed her life.
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Breaking down in tears at the start of last week's show, she told professional partner Gorka Marquez: "I definitely am a different person from when we started." Appearing on Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, she continued: "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 you don't want to ask.
"I'm a 39-year-old woman with three kids. You do your job and your relationships and your house and 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 I didn't expect." Her courage is all the more impressive given that according to one source, Helen was blindsided by Richie's departure.
But despite it seemingly coming out of the blue, the source told The Sun the astute star had already noticed signs that things weren't as they should be in her marriage. "Helen has known something hasn't been right in the marriage for a while now," an insider told The Sun of her suspicions.
Since the split, she and her three children have moved to her parents' farm in Cumbria, where she is making the most of enjoying her own independence and no longer having to live the 'transient' life of rugby. For Helen's part, the last thing she sees herself as is a victim.
"I don't see myself as a victim, no, because I mean, look…" she told The Telegraph. "There are a lot of people who have been in my situation who haven't been given the opportunities that I've got.
"Don’t get me wrong, I have my days when I'm p***ed off. But equally, in this job, you're in a lot of people's lives, which gives you a phenomenal amount of perspective." And when Helen's protective Strictly partner Gorka Marquez made a rallying speech about the TV star after their performance, urging her to 'believe in herself', she was mortified.
"I know you've been having a difficult time, and I know you've been made to feel like you're not beautiful or good enough or anything," he said to the cringing TV host. "But if you don't believe in yourself... I believe in you. Everybody here believes in you, your family believes in you."
Insisting that she is 'owning' Strictly and her current experiences, Helen insisted she's right where she should be and confirmed she's got no intention of looking for anyone new right now. She added: "Not only is my glass half full, but I've actually got a glass. I've got loads to be thankful for. I'm not going to worry about the one thing I haven't got."
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