Helen Skelton has broken her silence on her split from husband Richie Myler, having spoken out in a new book.
Helen, 40, separated from rugby star Richie in April last year after tying the knot back in 2013 – going on to have three children together.
She announced the split via Instagram, saying: “Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple. He has left the family home.
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“We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children.”
She added two broken heart emojis.
It was later revealed that Richie’s girlfriend, Stephanie Thirkill, was pregnant with their first child, who arrived in March this year.
Helen has now opened up about the heartbreaking separation in her new autobiography In My Stride.
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She speaks about how she was in ‘shock’ following the split, having not long given birth to youngest child Elsie, now 22 months.
“I was in shock,” she says.
“I know that following break-ups, people often say they didn’t see it coming and it sounds like a cliche, but that was me.”
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Helen explains how she might have missed the ‘signs’ the marriage wasn’t working, fearing she may have been ‘consumed’ by her children, work and house renovation project.
She decided to keep the split a secret from her parents as she didn’t want to ‘inflict’ any pain on them, but they soon found out when her dad noticed Helen and the kids were spending time alone at her house, and rushed over to visit her.
“He immediately stepped in, knowing I needed him, even though I didn’t want to admit it,” she says.
In the book, which was released today, Helen recalls how her heartache spurred her on to sign up for Strictly Come Dancing, where she was paired with dance partner Gorka Marquez.
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“In week two, Gorka asked me why I didn’t feel sexy,” she writes.
“It was an awkward question that immediately made me cringe.
“Why ask me that?! I was just there for the banter. I have never been sexy, I was the cute and funny type.
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“He was asking a woman with three children under six, whose husband had just left her and was with another woman, TO BE SEXY.
“I thought, ‘Who would feel good about themselves in that scenario?’.”
Gorka went on to pay an incredible, emotional tribute to his fellow contestant, telling her: “Can I just say something? I know you have been having a difficult time and you may not feel like you are good enough or beautiful.
“Even if you don’t believe in yourself, I believe in you, your family believes in you. Everyone here believes in you.”
And Helen grew in confidence as the show went on, acing a sexy performance to ‘Mein Herr’ from Cabaret for Musicals Week – which the choreographer told her could serve as her very own ‘f**k you’ moment.
“We had found a dance which let me own my own moment and be the boss,” she adds, saying a tearful Strictly dancer approached her afterwards and gave her a huge hug.
“You did that for all of us,” they told her.
Topics: Celebrity
Jess Hardiman