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

Helen Skelton, a television presenter, reveals that she has reached the point where she no longer values opinions and feels at ease with herself. 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 reach the point where you believe fun is impossible because life is too short.

After eight years of marriage, the ex-Blue Peter presenter, who had eight years before, wed England rugby league player Richie Myler in 2022, and they now reside together in a gorgeous new home in Cumbria. As the kids chatter in the background, Helen laughs: “It’s like Piccadilly Circus around here.

” I always say it’s not a kid that needs a nanny, I need a nanny – to do all the boring stuff. Helen acknowledges that she must balance working and parenting with 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 blame for my lack of work, they claim. TV work is feast or famine, so you have a crazy few weeks, then you have a really quiet month”. It should come as no surprise that daredevil Helen has signed up for something else because she has famously tackled grueling challenges in the past, such as kayaking the Amazon for Sport Relief, running the Namibian ultra marathon, cycling to the South Pole, and tightrope walking for Comic Relief.

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. I’ve never attempted something quite like it, and the challenge is essentially glorified circuits. 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”. Helen felt more at ease in her own body after reaching the Strictly Come Dancing final in 2022.

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 loves documenting with South Yorkshire farmers Rob and Dave at Cannon Hall Farm, which returns with a new series of Winter On The Farm on Tuesday. Helen has a passion for farming and the outdoors, which is evident from her upbringing.

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 recently enjoyed documenting the Lake District’s upcoming BBC1 show Lost and Found in the Lake, which centers on fishing for lost objects. She says, “I never take it for granted that people welcome us into their living rooms. Someone chooses what to put on the television, and they invite us to join them for tea. I love my job and I’m just so grateful”.

On Channel 5, Winter On the Farm airs every four nights starting on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Source: Mirror