‘I remember when I did the Namibia ultra marathon, thinking, this could be challenging…’ says 39-year-old presenter Helen Skelton, reflecting on completing the 78-mile race in 2009. ‘But I didn't mind it being difficult. I thought, the harder this is, the better trained I am for life. I will be ready for absolutely anything else.’
It sheds some light on who Helen is, and the mindset that has helped her through a publicly tricky year.
A household name since 2008, when she started as a presenter on Blue Peter, completing a mind-boggling list of feats to raise money for good causes from kayaking the river Amazon to cycling to the South. A regular on TV ever since, hosting family shows like Countryfile and Springtime on the Farm, which returns this April, last autumn, she competed on Strictly Come Dancing, and reached the final. An impressive result for any Strictly contestant – but in Helen’s case, there was another layer of strength to admire in her performance.
In April, she had announced on Instagram that her husband Richie Myler (who she has three children with) had moved out of their home. In October, while Helen was competing on the show, it emerged that Richie is expecting another child with his new partner.
She chooses not to speak about her break-up with Richie, but she is keen to deflect any sympathy. ‘My life's no different to millions of other people's lives,’ she says. ‘Lots of people have the same sorts of things to look after and sort out. I think life is fun, and short, and wonderful, and you just take each chapter as they come along. There's no point overthinking stuff – you just get on with it.’
Strictly might have been less death-defying than some of her previous challenges, but she found the early weeks terrifying, she says. ‘You're so vulnerable on that dance floor. But every week I got through it, and that made it addictive. I think the lesson for me that I took from that was to just keep going. It doesn't matter if you're scared. It doesn't matter if you've had a shit day, or if you had a meltdown in the supermarket. Just keep going.’
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MAIN IMAGE: Photographer - Ollie Adegboye; Styling - Julia Harvey; Hair and Make-Up - Kentaro Kondo at Eighteen Management; Photographer's Assistant - Yomi Adewusi. Helen wears: shirt, £110, With Nothing Underneath, trousers, £255, BA&SH, sandals, £90, Vagabond; jewellery, Helen’s own.