Helen Skelton breaks silence on marriage split with Richie Myler – saying she ‘still has questions’ about why he left

HELEN SKELTON has told for the first time how she was blindsided by her husband leaving her for another woman – but credits Strictly for making her feel sexy again.

The former Countryfile host, 40, separated from Richie Myler, 33, in April last year after more than eight years of marriage, and shortly after the birth of their third child.

The rugby league ace began dating Stephanie Thirkill, whose millionaire father Andrew Thirkill is president of Richie’s club, Leeds Rhinos.

And the couple have since had a child of their own.

Helen’s heartache sparked her decision to sign up for Strictly last year, hoping the show’s gruelling rehearsals and pressure to perform would take her mind off the split.

But she admits she initially found it hard to impress dance partner Gorka Marquez due to her inability to feel sexy, as her failed marriage, coupled with having given birth to three children in six years, had destroyed her confidence.

And her lack of swagger deeply impacted their early routines as Helen desperately tried to prove she was no “bruised bride”.

In her new autobiography In My Stride, which came out today, she says: “In week two, Gorka asked me why I didn’t feel sexy.

“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.

“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?’.”

However, Helen admits her confidence grew with every week she progressed in the contest.

She finally had the courage to wear suspenders for a sexy routine to the song Mein Herr, from Cabaret, for Musicals Week, where she channelled the spirit of character Sally Bowles, a “gritty survivor” like herself.

Her choreographer told her the dance would present her with her own “f*** you” moment, which would allow her to get rid of her break-up angst as well as rediscover her sexy side.

Helen said: “We had found a dance which let me own my own moment and be the boss.”

The routine was her breakthrough moment on the show and triggered an overwhelmingly positive response from the judges, viewers and fellow dancers — as well as others who were enduring similar pain.

Helen recalls how a tearful Strictly dancer approached her afterwards, gave her a huge hug and said: “You did that for all of us.”

Weeks previously, Gorka had stunned viewers by paying tribute to Helen in the week her former partner revealed he was expecting a baby with his new lover.

The Spaniard said: “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.”

After cheers from dancers and encouragement from co-host Claudia Winkleman, he continued: “It doesn’t matter how many times anyone tells you to believe in yourself, it’s only you that can make the change.

“You are an amazing woman, mother and incredible dancer, so believe in yourself.”

Helen — who finished runner-up on the series behind Glitterball champion Hamza Yassin — revealed she was “dying inside” during his speech, and “wished he would shut up”.

But she admitted she also wanted to hug him for offering such public support.

And she found herself in a far better place after the competition than when she started, still raw from her fresh heartache.

The ex-Blue Peter host had remained tight-lipped about the reasons behind her separation from Richie.

But in her memoirs she reveals his decision to leave their marital home and start a new relationship took her completely by surprise.

She had just given birth to daughter Elsie, now 22 months, and the couple were renovating the Leeds property they had recently bought. On the split, Helen writes: “I was in shock.

“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.”

She fears she may have been “consumed” by her children, work and house project and missed “signs” the marriage wasn’t working — or just “ignored” them.

Helen also explains that she was so heartbroken by the split that she struggled to tell her parents — keeping it secret from them for some time as she didn’t want to “inflict” pain on them.

‘Focus on my kids’

It was only when her father noticed Helen spending time alone in her marital home with her kids, and made a surprise visit from Cumbria to check on her, that the truth spilled out.

She writes: “He immediately stepped in, knowing I needed him, even though I didn’t want to admit it.”

Helen’s parents, as well as her close circle of friends, became her rock, helping with childcare as well as offering a shoulder to cry on.

After signing up for Strictly she made the decision to relocate back to Cumbria and live with her mum and dad, who were able to look after her children.

Sons Ernie, eight, and Louis, six, moved schools while she rehearsed and travelled to London for the Saturday night shows at Elstree Studios.

They were all sleeping in the same bedroom, a point her father was keen to make to friends who saw a story published in the Press saying his daughter was worth £6million.

In her book, Helen quotes him as responding: “If she is, why is she sleeping in my back room with her three kids? She’d better start paying some keep.”

After wrapping up Strictly, the star moved into a new rental property close by with her children.

But it wasn’t long before she made another big decision — to leave her job on Radio 5 Live.

Helen had been presenting the Sunday morning show with Steve Crossman for a year, but couldn’t bear her sons playing sport without her watching from the sidelines.

On her heart-to-heart with 5 Live boss Heidi Dawson, she said: “She knew I couldn’t be good at my job if I didn’t have a happy life.”

Despite her fallout with Richie, who had also stayed silent on the split, she refuses to erase his memory from her social media accounts.

She still has pictures of the pair during happier times on her Instagram as she is determined her kids should remember they were together.

And she wants her ex to remain a constant presence in her — and their children’s — lives.

Helen says: “I want them to know that we loved each other, but things change and that’s OK too.”

The TV presenter insists she is in no rush to find a new fella, despite constant pressure from pals.

She said she is regularly told a new partner won’t be far away, but finding love again isn’t something she deeply craves — or needs.

She adds: “I want to enjoy this time of focusing on my kids and my career. I don’t need to try to find energy I don’t have for a new relationship.”

• In My Stride: Lessons Learned Through Life And Adventure, by Helen Skelton, (Headline Publishing Group) is available now, priced from £18.25.