Helen Skelton explains why she said yes to Strictly so soon after marriage breakdown

‘Countryfile’ host took some convincing

Helen Skelton has opened up about why she decided to appear on Strictly Come Dancing so soon after splitting from her husband.

The formerBlue Peter presenter, who currently hosts Countryfile, is currently competing in the dance series which is currently on its fifth week.

Skelton’s involvement came after she revealed in April that her ex Richie Myler had “left the family home” just four months after they welcomed their third child.

“Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple,” she wrote on Instagram. “He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children.”

Skelton, who married Myler in 2013, accompanied the post with two broken heart emojis.

The TV presenter has now revealed she was initially not convinced Strictly would be a good idea for her – that was until her best friend intervened.

“I was like, ‘I’m not sure. There’s the kids and the press and it will be full-on,’ and she just went, ‘What a tit! You’re going to get paid to dance around with a fit guy, people are going to put make-up on you, and you’ve got to work. It’s not real life, is it? Why wouldn’t you do it?’” she told The Telegraph.

Skelton said she thinks “it would have been disrespectful for me to have not done Strictly – for my family, who need to see me have a great time”.

She continued: “It’s not just for me. When you’ve got kids, if they’re happy, you’re happy. My kid scored a hat-trick this week, and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ And then I thought, ‘Oh, I do that to my mum and dad.’ You don’t get it until you’ve got your own kids, do you? It gives you a different perspective.”

Speaking about her involvement in the series, Skelton told the BBC she was “really excited to get stuck into a fun adventure”, adding: “I did the Christmas [version of Strictly] the other year. The hair is the best, the makeup is incredible, the costumes are incredible.”

Helen Skelton in rehearsals for ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ (BBC)

After the news was announced, her Summer on the Farm co-host Martin Hughes-Games joked that bosses have taken on more than they bargained for, branding Skelton “wild”.

Skelton is paired with professional dancer Gorka Marquez. To date, the pair have avoided the dance-off. Kaye Adams, Richie Anderson and Matt Goss were the first three celebrities to be eliminated.

Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday 22 October at 6.40pm on BBC One.