TV presenter Helen Skelton has reflected on her split from her husband of nine years.
In April 2022, the Countryfile presenter announced that she and rugby star Richie Myler – with whom she shares three children – had parted ways.
Helen told her Instagram followers at the time: “Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple. He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children.”
Just months later, it was announced that the former Blue Peter star had signed up for the 2022 series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she and her partner Gorka Márquez made it all the way to the final.
Since then, Richie has welcomed another child with his new partner, Stephanie Thirkill.
In the past year, Helen has spoken only a handful of times about her split, but opened up more in an excerpt from her new book In My Stride, which has been published in The Sun.
“I was in shock,” she wrote of her break-up. “I know that following break-ups, people often say they didn’t see it coming and it sounds like a cliché, but that was me.”
She added in another extract that she wants the children she and Richie share “to know that we loved each other, but things change and that’s OK too”.
Helen previously revealed in the lead-up to last year’s Strictly that she’d signed up for the show to bring some “joy” and “fun” back into her life.
“I just wanted to do something fun!” she told HuffPost UK. “It was a good chance for my family to see me smiling. And it’s a fun adventure.”
Over the summer, Helen also made the decision to step down from her Radio 5 Live show in order to spend more time with her family.
“I am not alright about it but, you know, needs must. The juggle is real. There is an eight-year-old with a sideline who needs me,” she told her listeners.
She added: “Thank you for your company over the last year, I’ve loved every minute of our time together on this show.
“Thank you to all of the team, thank you to all of you. Maybe we’ll meet again soon. It’s hard to know what to say without getting emotional.”