Morning Live presenter Helen Skelton has opened up about how her BBC co-star Gethin Jones was concerned for her, as she made a huge decision during an emotional time
Television presenter Helen Skelton has spoken about her impulsive decision to sign up to Strictly Come Dancing and the warning she was given by fellow television presenter Gethin Jones.
Helen appeared on the 2022 series of the BBC favourite with Strictly pro Gorka Marquez. Together, the pair came second in series 20 of the show, behind winners Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal.
Speaking on the White Wine Question Time podcast with Kate Thornton, Helen, 42, spoke about how rushed and fast-paced her arrival on the show was, especially as she had been going through difficulties in her personal life at the time, and how friends in the media were slightly concerned about the move.
She said: “I only signed up a couple of weeks before it started, so that I didn’t have time to think about it. I remember some of my really good friends, like Dan Walker and Gethin Jones, were like, ‘is this a good idea?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know’.”
Gethin’s warning about Helen joining Strictly Come Dancing came shortly after her split from ex Richie Myler, the father to her three children, Ernie, Louis, and Elsie, following eight years of marriage.
On the same podcast, Helen also spoke about how she felt when she left her show on BBC Radio 5 Live in 2023, after just one year in the role.
She said: “It was the dream job in a million and one ways… It was a weekend show, so I got to do sport. And I love the idea of being a hack, but I’m not a proper journalist, I’m not cut that way.
“And so, this show managed to straddle in all of that and also it was working with people [who], I would say, are some of the best people in the business, that are my friends, it was jackpot on every level.”
Helen also noted that one of the perks of the job was that it was just a short walk from where she lived, which was helpful given her working schedule.
She said: “So to walk away from the dream job that I feel like I grafted towards for a long time was hard.”
Since her exit from BBC Radio 5 Live, Helen has been a regular presenter on another BBC programme, Morning Live, that she co-hosts from Monday to Wednesday with the likes of Gethin Jones.
Earlier this week, Helen had to explain that he was missing from the show because he was busy working on The Celebrity Apprentice.
She said: “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!
“No, he hasn’t taken a career turn, he’s been announced as one of the latest candidates taking part in The Celebrity Apprentice.”
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