Television presenter Helen Skelton has opened up about her impulsive decision to sign up for Strictly Come Dancing and the warning she received from fellow BBC presenter Gethin Jones. Speaking on the White Wine Question Time podcast with Kate Thornton, the 42-year-old revealed that her co-star expressed concern over her joining the show during a difficult personal time.
Rushed Decision Amid Personal Turmoil
Helen appeared on the 2022 series of the BBC favourite with professional dancer Gorka Marquez, finishing as runners-up behind winners Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal. She explained that her entry into the competition was rushed, saying: "I only signed up a couple of weeks before it started, so that I didn't have time to think about it." She added that close friends in the media, including Dan Walker and Gethin Jones, questioned the move: "They were like, 'is this a good idea?' and I said, 'I don't know'."
The warning came shortly after Helen's split from her ex-husband Richie Myler, the father of her three children—Ernie, Louis, and Elsie—following eight years of marriage.
Leaving a Dream Job
In the same podcast, Helen also discussed her departure from BBC Radio 5 Live in 2023 after just one year. She described it as "the dream job in a million and one ways," praising the weekend show that allowed her to cover sports. "I love the idea of being a hack, but I'm not a proper journalist," she admitted. "This show managed to straddle all of that and work with some of the best people in the business—it was jackpot on every level." She noted that the studio was a short walk from her home, which made the decision to leave even harder: "To walk away from the dream job that I feel like I grafted towards for a long time was hard."
Morning Live and Gethin's Absence
Since leaving Radio 5 Live, Helen has become a regular presenter on BBC's Morning Live, co-hosting from Monday to Wednesday alongside Gethin Jones. Earlier this week, she had to explain his absence from the show, stating: "One member of the Morning Live team who is not here because he's swapped the studio for the boardroom, our very own Gethin Jones!" She clarified that he had not taken a career turn but had been announced as a candidate on The Celebrity Apprentice.
