The Countryfile presenter has opened up about her initial nerves during Strictly Come Dancing, which she joined following her split from rugby player Richie Myler
Helen admitted she was very nervous when she started Strictly(Image: PA)
Former Blue Peter host Helen Skelton navigated a difficult period following her separation from rugby league player Richie Myler, ultimately reaching the final of Strictly Come Dancing. However, the Countryfile star has admitted she felt “terrified” during the competition’s early weeks.
“I tried to leave,” she disclosed on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast. “I ran and hid on the fire escape, and they filmed Strictly next to The Crown, and there’s a massive wall. I kid you not, I was looking at the wall and thinking, ‘I could get over that’.”
Helen revealed that a member of the production team persuaded her to return to the studio, where her professional dancing partner Gorka Márquez delivered some crucial words of encouragement: “I remember he said to me: ‘It’s like jumping out of a plane, you’ve got to engage the parachute’.”
“He was so wonderful,” Helen continued, praising the Spanish dancer’s unwavering support, which helped build her confidence from those anxious beginnings through to her memorable Cabaret-themed Couple’s Choice routine in the final, which earned a flawless score of 40.
“By the final, I’ve gone from hiding on the fire escape, being terrified to look at the dance floor, to just freestyling. Even all the professionals were crying laughing. They were like, ‘Who are you?'” she said.
Helen’s Strictly experience wasn’t without its challenges, including an unfortunate costume mishap during the semi-finals when part of her outfit tore and hung around her leg for the remainder of the routine. Nevertheless, Helen persevered and secured an impressive 37 points — with Shirley Ballas awarding her and Gorka the lowest mark of 8, while Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke both gave them a 10.
Speaking to Kate, Helen revealed that despite the personal anguish of her eight-year marriage ending, she remained resolute that the circumstances wouldn’t impact her performance — or influence how the Strictly judges scored her.
She remembered: “A few people said if you’d have just cried and gone on about what was going on, you might have won it.”
Helen added that numerous friends had urged her to take up the Strictly opportunity purely due to the massive public fascination with her marriage split: “My friends were just like, ‘Just do it. Just do it.
“It’s going to swallow you up. Just do it. Like, there’s so many people talking about you and looking at you. They may as well look at you in a sparkly dress, mate.'”
Following Helen’s decision to accept the invitation, some audience members claimed she might have had an advantage due to her childhood tap-dancing background. Speaking to ITV’s Lorraine at the time, she said: “I found it so funny when they said it was a fix — Helen’s a tap-dancing champion. When I was seven, yes, I did tap dancing.
“Like lots of little girls and boys, I did dancing and absolutely loved it. I hit an age where I didn’t want to be in a leotard in public and I gave it up. I wish I hadn’t!”