Helen Skelton opens up on how parenthood has changed her as she says it's the 'ultimate ironman'

TV presenter Helen Skelton reveals she’s hit the age where she finally feels comfortable in her own skin and cares less what people think. The 41-year-old, mum to three young children, says she is too busy to sweat the small stuff.

Now she worries much less about what she says, what others think and what she eats, instead focusing on having fun, enjoying her TV projects and spending time with Ernie, nine, Louis, seven, and little Elsie, who will turn three this Christmas. Helen, host of BBC1’s Morning Live and Channel 5’s seasonal On The Farm shows, says: “I think we’re past counting calories aren’t we? It’s not fun. You get to a point when you think life’s too short not to not have fun.”

The ex-Blue Peter presenter split from England rugby league player Richie Myler in 2022 after eight years of marriage, and now lives in a beautiful new home in Cumbria with their kids. As the kids chatter in the background, Helen laughs: “It’s like Piccadilly Circus around here.

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“I always say it’s not a kid that needs a nanny, I need a nanny – to do all the boring stuff.” But Helen admits she has to juggle parenting and work far less than a lot of other people. She says: “I’m very lucky... most of my friends work way more, in offices or schools or hospitals.

“They take the mick because I don’t work half as much as they do. TV work is feast or famine, so you have a crazy few weeks, then you have a really quiet month.” As she has famously taken on gruelling challenges in the past, like kayaking the Amazon for Sport Relief, running the Namibian ultra marathon, cycling to the South Pole and tightrope walking for Comic Relief, it is not a great surprise that daredevil Helen has signed up for something else.

She says: “I’ve just, stupidly, I don’t know why, agreed to do a fitness competition at the end of January with one of my friends. The challenge is basically glorified circuits and I’ve never done anything like it. It is terrifying.” But Helen’s attitude is that if you’ve given birth then you can probably do anything.

She says: “Having kids is the ultimate ironman. It’s incredible, I think women need to hear that. I’ve done marathons, I’ve done ultra marathons, but labour is harder.” Reaching the final on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022 also helped Helen to feel comfortable in her own body.

She explains: “Being on Strictly helped me realise what I could do. Louis loves dancing because of Strictly, he wants to be like Gorka [Marquez, her professional partner].”

Helen, who is back with a new series of Winter On The Farm on Tuesday, loves filming with farmers Rob and Dave at Cannon Hall Farm in South Yorkshire. Her upbringing has clearly given Helen a love of the outdoors and farming life.

She says: “My dad was a dairy farmer, my grandad was a farmer before him. When I was a kid, we had to help out, that’s just what you do.”

Helen is thankful for every TV opportunity. She has just enjoyed filming upcoming BBC1 show Lost And Found In The Lake, about fishing for lost items in the Lake District. She says: “I never take it for granted that people are inviting us into their living rooms. Someone picks what to put on the telly and they’re inviting us to sit with them while having tea. I love my job and I’m just so grateful.”

Winter On The Farm airs for four nights from Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 5.

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