Helen Skelton has lifted the lid on the heartbreaking aftermath of her split from ex-husband Richie Myler. The former couple were married for nine years but divorced in 2022, just four months after their third child was born. In a candid admission, the Morning Live star said she felt humiliated after the breakdown of the relationship became public. At the time, the 42-year-old issued a statement on Instagram, informing fans: "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."

Despite her "get up and get on with it" attitude, Helen revealed she received "patronising looks" and prying questions about her dating life from the general public. The BBC star said she was dealing with gossip in her "tiny community", adding: "It felt humiliating to me because of where I'm from. I didn't enjoy walking down the street and people knowing stuff about my past."

Speaking to The Times, the mum-of-three said that her dairy farmer father Richard would hear talk about her in his local golf club and "Susan from the meat counter at Sainsbury's" would ask her about her romantic life during her food shop.

However, whispers about her break-up soon shifted after Helen joined Strictly Come Dancing later that year, where she was partnered with Gorka Marquez. Together danced all the way to the final, and finished as a runner-up.

Reflecting on her memorable "revenge dance," the Couple's Choice routine to Mein Herr from Cabaret, Helen told the outlet: "It struck a chord, one of the dancers said, 'You did that for all of us, didn't you?' I wanted to have my own narrative.

"I was sick of the patronising looks, the 'Ooh, how are you?' I didn't have the capacity to say, 'I'm brilliant, how are you?' That's what the dance did."

She penned: "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."

Despite this, the Countryfile star also wrote that she wanted her ex-husband to remain a constant presence in their children's lives and stated: "I want them to know that we loved each other, but things change, and that's OK, too."

While Helen has not been in a public relationship since, rumours about a romance with her Morning Live co-host Gethin Jones have consistently swirled, to which Helen recently shut down, insisting: "We just work together, we are not together. No, no, no. We are just work friends."