Helen Skelton is a British TV and radio presenter from Cumbria. She first became known on Blue Peter, then built a long career on Countryfile and reached a much wider audience as runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing 2022. When she talks about happiness in interviews, she usually ends up talking about the same few things: being outside, her farming roots and spending time with her three children.
Most of what ranks for her name right now is single-event news: a split, a house move, a rumour. This page brings the verified basics together in one place. Where a detail could have changed since we last checked, we say so.
Who Is Helen Skelton? Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Helen Skelton |
| Born | 19 July 1983 (widely reported) |
| From | Kirkby Thore, Cumbria, England (raised on a family dairy farm) |
| Education | Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) |
| Known for | Blue Peter, Countryfile, Strictly Come Dancing 2022, endurance challenges for charity |
| Marital status | Separated from rugby league player Richie Myler in 2022 |
| Children | Three: Ernie, Louis and Elsie |
| Home base | Cumbria |
Helen Skelton’s Early Life and Background
Skelton grew up on a dairy farm in Kirkby Thore, a village in the Eden Valley between Penrith and Appleby. That matters more than it would for most presenters. Farm life is the basis of her later Countryfile work, and she still describes rural Cumbria as home.
She studied journalism at UCLan in Preston. Her early jobs were standard regional media: local newspaper work and a stint at BBC Radio Cumbria. Most national presenters still start this way. You learn to write fast, find stories and talk to people who never asked to be on air.
From there she moved into children’s television. She worked on Newsround before joining Blue Peter in 2008.
Career Highlights: From Blue Peter to Strictly
Blue Peter (2008–2013)
Blue Peter made her name, and so did the challenges she took on for it, several of them in aid of Sport Relief and Children in Need. The best known are:
- The Amazon kayak (2010): roughly 2,000 miles down the Amazon River in a kayak for Sport Relief. It was widely reported as a Guinness World Record for the longest solo kayak journey by a woman.
- The Namibian ultramarathon (2009): a 78-mile desert race. She was one of the first women to finish it.
- The Battersea tightrope (2011): a high-wire walk between two chimneys of Battersea Power Station for Children in Need.
- The South Pole (2012): a journey of about 500 miles to the South Pole by ski, kite-ski and bicycle for Sport Relief.
These challenges are why people describe her as an adventurer as well as a presenter. They required months of real physical preparation, and they set the outdoors-first image she still has.
Countryfile and BBC sport
After Blue Peter she joined Countryfile around 2014. It suited her farming background well. She has also presented sport for the BBC, including rugby league, as well as aquatics and other Olympic and Commonwealth Games coverage. She has also appeared on BBC One’s Morning Live.
Strictly Come Dancing 2022
Skelton joined Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, only months after her marriage ended. She was partnered with Gorka Márquez, and the pair reached the final, finishing runners-up to Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystał. She went on to the Strictly live tour. For many viewers, this was when they first saw her as more than a children’s or countryside presenter.
Radio 5 Live and Channel 5
She hosted a weekend show on BBC Radio 5 Live, then stepped down and told listeners she wanted more time with her children. She has also worked with Channel 5, including a travel series alongside former BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker.
Outdoors, Wellbeing and Happiness
The “outdoors and happiness” part of this search comes from interviews, including an exclusive with Hello! Magazine, in which Skelton talks about what keeps her grounded and her plans with her children. Across her public comments, three themes come up again and again:
- Being outside. She has spent her career on farms, rivers and fells, and she regularly calls time outdoors with her kids a priority, not a treat.
- Cumbria and family support. After the separation she moved back north, and she has spoken about how much her parents’ help means to her.
- Enjoying the stage her children are at. She told the Yorkshire Evening Post she is “banking the good days” before her children are teenagers who “won’t get out of bed”.
A caution: this is how she presents herself in interviews, and that is all we are reporting. We don’t interpret her private wellbeing beyond what she has said.
Helen Skelton’s Personal and Family Life
Marriage to Richie Myler
Skelton married rugby league player Richie Myler in December 2013. They were together for around nine years. In April 2022 she announced on social media that they had separated, shortly after the birth of their third child. Myler has since had a new relationship and family, which the press has covered heavily. Skelton has mostly avoided commenting on it.
Her children: Ernie, Louis and Elsie
She has three children:
- Ernie, born 2015
- Louis, born 2017
- Elsie, born December 2021
She shares parenting with Myler. She posts outdoor family moments online, such as walks, farm days and beach trips, but keeps the details sparse.
Is she dating anyone?
Nothing has been confirmed. In March 2025 she dismissed rumours linking her to Strictly professional Vito Coppola. Our view is simple: unless she confirms a relationship herself, it isn’t a fact. Many other celebrity relationship stories work the same way. Our profile of Robson Green’s partner follows the same approach.
What Is Helen Skelton Doing Now? Latest Projects
The parts of her career we could confirm are stable: she is a BBC-linked presenter with a countryside and outdoor focus, Strictly gave her a larger audience, and she has deliberately cut back her weekly commitments since leaving Radio 5 Live. Presenters’ contracts and series change from season to season, so check the current BBC and Channel 5 listings before assuming a show is still running.
Last checked: October 2026. The most recent coverage we could confirm dates to early 2025. We will update this section when new roles are announced.
Related Celebrity Profiles
If you liked this profile, you may also like our look at Janette Manrara’s children and family life (she is another Strictly name), and our Joe Wicks net worth and career breakdown, about a presenter who also built a career around health and family.
FAQs
What is Helen Skelton famous for?
She is best known for presenting Blue Peter from 2008 to 2013, including record-setting charity challenges such as kayaking the Amazon and reaching the South Pole. She also presents Countryfile and finished runner-up on Strictly Come Dancing 2022 with Gorka Márquez.
Where is Helen Skelton from?
She is from Cumbria in north-west England. She grew up on a dairy farm in Kirkby Thore, near Penrith, and moved back to the county after her separation in 2022.
Is Helen Skelton married?
No. She married rugby league player Richie Myler in 2013, and they announced their separation in April 2022. She has not confirmed a new relationship and denied the 2025 rumours linking her to Vito Coppola.
How many children does Helen Skelton have?
She has three children: Ernie (born 2015), Louis (born 2017) and Elsie (born December 2021). She co-parents them with Richie Myler.
What is Helen Skelton doing now?
She still works in broadcasting, mainly on countryside and outdoor programmes. She stepped down from her BBC Radio 5 Live weekend show to spend more time with her children. Check current BBC and Channel 5 listings for her latest series.
