Reports claim that Countryfile's presenter Helen Skelton has struck up a deal that saw her become the latest celebrity star on Strictly Come Dancing 2022, in a bid to find new love after her ill-fated marriage.
According to Mirror, Strictly Come Dancing 2022 has reportedly welcomed Countryfile's host Helen Skelton as the latest celebrity contestant. Helen's appearance in the BBC's dance competition is said to help her 'bounce back' and find a new romance following her shock marriage split earlier this year.
The reports come after Helen revealed in April that she had split from rugby star husband Richie Myler, ending their marriage of eight years. During their time together, the couple shared three children - 7-year-old Ernie, 5-year-old Louis, and 7-month-old Elsie.
Helen is reportedly seeking new love
The Blue Peter host announced their separation at the time on Instagram, writing:
‘Very sad to say 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.’
Neither Helen nor the Leeds Rhinos ace has spoken publicly about the true reason behind their marriage split. However, weeks after the news broke out, The Sun reported that Richie was having an extramarital affair with marketing executive Stephanie Thrikill. The 32-year-old blonde is the daughter of Andrew Thrikill - the multimillionaire president of Richie's current rugby team Leeds Rhinos.
Mirror writes that Helen is 'super excited' ahead of her stint on the BBC's hit show. A source close to the British host told the Dailymail that Strictly will 'open so many doors' for Helen after her doomed marriage to Richie:
‘This is quite the opposite of the Strictly curse. Helen has already lost the love of her life, now she wants to find a new one. She cannot wait to get stuck into it all, she has been through the most difficult of times, so this is going to open so many doors for her.'
They added:
‘The negotiations have been going on for some time but the BBC are delighted that they have managed to get Helen on board. They think it’s going to be great, and so does Helen. She is going to make the best of this, and enjoy it.’
Another source told The Sun about Helen's chance in Strictly:
'She’s a great signing for the show and enormously popular with viewers, especially after what has happened to her lately. Everyone on the inside thinks she could end up going a very long way.'
If the claims prove right, Helen will become the tenth celebrity to join Strictly's all-star line-up after Bros singer Matt Goss and Late Night Marsh star Ellie Taylor were confirmed as the eighth and ninth famous faces to hit the Ballroom. The trio will join Will Mellor, Kym Marsh, Richie Anderson, Kaye Adams, Jayde Adams, Ellie Simmonds, and Tyler West in the Strictly Come Dancing line-up announced so far. Aside from the star-studded cast, this year, which marks the BBC's 100th anniversary, will be extra-special for Strictly as it introduces the biggest professional dancers line-up with four brand new faces.
The BBC didn't make any comment regarding Helen's signing but is expected to make the announcement on Friday, written by Mirror.
Helen will be Strictly's tenth celebrity cast
Last month, Helen was confirmed as Laura Whitmore's replacement on BBC Radio 5 Live Sunday morning slot. Helen's new role came after Laura Whitmore decided to walk away from the BBC for her high-profile role as ITV's Love Island host. The 37-year-old Irish is said to have earned £600,000 despite only featuring for 14 minutes out of the show's 27 hours of screen time.
Helen's Sunday program will likely mark a milestone in her career, which began in 2008 with the children's program Blue Peter. She later rose to fame as the presenter of BBC One's Countryfile in 2014, in which she interviewed famous sports stars.
Read more:
⋙ Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton to replace Laura Whitmore on Radio 5 Live
⋙ This is how much Laura Whitmore is getting paid for hosting Love Island
