terrified

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

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!”

Legendary star Jeff Hordley admits that his latest dramatic storyline has been his “hardest ever” and has vowed to get a special blood test, checking for warning signals, for his own peace of mind.

Emmerdale’s Cain Dingle is told tomorrow night that he has prostate cancer. With 64000 new cases diagnosed in the UK predominantly in men over the age of 50, Jeff Hordley – who has played hardman Cain for 25 years – tells the Mirror: “This is the hardest story I have ever worked on throughout my time on Emmerdale because I want to make sure I get it right for the many men who are sadly affected.”

The most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, a family history of the disease also increases the risk of prostate cancer, which effects one in eight men – with the risk doubling for Black men. Often without symptoms in the early stages, a special PSA blood test, can, however, detect abnormalities that can lead to early diagnosis and a far better survival rate.

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Jeff, 55, explains: “Prostate cancer can have such an enormous effect on both the person diagnosed and their family. I feel fortunate because my family has not been affected by the disease and thankfully a health check I had a few years ago, that included my prostate, was fine.

“But filming this storyline has made me realise how sobering the disease can be and how it affects so many. It’s so important if you are in a higher risk category to get tested. As soon as I have my next day off, I am going to be making an appointment with my GP to have a PSA test.”

Unfortunately, Cain, 51, like so many men in real life, failed to take a test because he lacked symptoms. But in January during the explosive Corriedale special, the Dingle fan favourite was shocked to learn he had a mass on his prostate gland after being rushed to hospital when he was shot at by evil John Sugden. Scanning his wound, the tumour was detected and doctors ordered further tests.

Now after an agonising month-long wait, Cain will be told he has cancer. It is localised but aggressive and he will require urgent surgery. He is also warned there could be serious surgical side effects including incontinence and erectile dysfunction. It leaves the family man, whose wife, Moira, is currently locked up in prison charged with two murders she didn’t commit, terrified he won’t be able to protect those he loves the most if he tells them the truth.

“Cain is frightened of telling anyone,” says Jeff. “Everything is falling to pieces and he doesn’t deal with his diagnosis at all well. He has never found it easy to talk about his feelings anyway but after learning of his diagnosis, he snaps at everyone. He worries that if he tells anyone and with Moira in prison, nobody will be around to look after their children. He is terrified he is going to die.”

A very likeable actor who is worlds away from the hardman he plays on-screen, Jeff – happily married to fellow Emmerdale star Zoe Henry, 52, who has played Rhona Goskirk for 22 years – is keen to use his soap role to raise awareness. He says: “We’ve been working together with Prostate Cancer UK on Cain’s story and we are going to explore the enormous impact it has on everyone’s lives. Soaps can play a hugely powerful part in raising awareness and if it encourages one man to get tested and find out they have this illness before it is too late – then that has to be a positive thing.”

Secretly told about Cain’s cancer storyline last September, his first reaction was understandably to take a big gulp when he heard the word ‘cancer’. Fearing it might mean the end of his character’s time in the soap, he confesses: “When I had my meeting, our producer, Laura, told me Cain was going to get shot in Corriedale. I was like ‘oh gulp’. But she said: ‘it’s ok you will survive the shooting’. It was then she told me doctors would find a mass from a scan in the hospital and that it would be cancer. I had to do a double gulp.”

Reassured the storyline would pan out for quite some time, Jeff remains tight lipped about what lies ahead but teases: “Cain is told surgery could make him incontinent and/or he could have an erectile dysfunction afterwards. “For some men, this can be short term but for others, it is forever. What if Moira won’t want him? This will be a story about how ultimately their love for each other is so strong.”

He admits the surgical side effects were something he had no knowledge of before he started filming, adding: “I found them really sobering and I think it is important we do make men aware, so they do feel more knowledgeable.”

Working flat out on the huge storyline, it is the latest of many powerful plots he has been involved in during his stellar 25-year soap career including discovering Cain was the illegitimate son of Zak Dingle and being diagnosed with a brain injury in 2015.

Jeff confides it helps enormously that Zoe, who he has two grown-up children with, understands the pressures of filming a big storyline. To unwind, they enjoy country walks near the family’s home in Yorkshire. He says: “Zoe totally understands and I’m so lucky that if I have had a big day and she gets home before me, she will cook something nice. Walks with my dogs are also a good way to switch off too, as is watching a film. I also DJ a bit which I really enjoy.”

And as someone who abstains from drinking alcohol in January and February, he says a ‘clear head’ helps him cope too. Going on to praise the entire Emmerdale cast and crew, he feels ‘blessed’ to be working alongside Natalie J Robb, who plays Moira. He adds: “We have a great shorthand and it is easy to be in Cain and Moira’s world when you are acting alongside Nat. To work on the Corriedale special was also an honour and my one day on ‘the cobbles’ was like the best ‘work placement’ day ever. To see Bill Roache walking the Emmerdale corridors was surreal, he’s such a legend and a gent.”

While Jeff acknowledges he is lucky to not have cancer, he does, however, live with Crohn’s disease. As a result, he is very health conscious, grows his own vegetables on an allotment and cooks from scratch. Jeff, an ambassador for Crohn’s & Colitis UK, says: “It is a different debilitating disease to cancer. I had a big operation in my final year at drama school at the age of 26 and since then, I have mainly been ok. I have been able to navigate it with my diet thankfully.”

For now, Jeff hopes by giving a rare interview, it will help to save lives, adding: “I hope after watching Cain’s storyline, it will encourage men to get tested. It could save their life.”

*If you have been affected by the Cain storyline, help can be sought at prostatecanceruk.org

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