Strictly finalist exposes ‘cliquey and childish’ co-star clashes backstage on BBC show

STRICTLY Come Dancing star Helen Skelton needed a helping hand as she got into a taxi in her long green dress after the Pride of Britain awards. The mum-of-three enjoyed a rare night out at the bash which celebrates everyday people doing incredible things for others. The Blue Peter and Countryfile presenter looked amazing in a backless green dress and high heels.

STRICTLY star HELEN Skelton is currently tearing up the ballroom with her dance partner Gorka Marquez. Spanish pro Gorka delivered a passionate speech at the weekend encouraging Helen to have more self-belief, and her Countryfile co-star Charlotte Smith says the "fantastic" presenter can achieve anything she puts her mind to. In an exclusive interview to support Countryfile's Ramble for Children In Need, Charlotte says: "There is nothing Helen Skelton can't do.

STRICTLY Come Dancing star Helen Skelton has revealed who she sees as her biggest competition - and it might come as a surprise. The Countryfile star, 39, believes England football icon Tony Adams is a massive threat to her on the dance floor.

Helen Skelton has gone back to her roots and is living with her parents in Cumbria after her split from husband Richie Myler. The TV presenter, who is currently competing on Strictly Come Dancing, uprooted her life and moved back home following the breakdown of her eight-year marriage to the rugby star in April. Richie, 32, and Helen, 39, share three children; Ernie, seven, Louis, five, and Elsie, nine months, while it was recently revealed that her former husband is expecting another baby with girlfriend Stephanie Thirkill. Despite her personal turmoil, Helen appears to have found peace being back in the company of her family and her children have taken to farm life with ease. ‘I am literally in my childhood Cumbrian village with all my school friends, and so everyone just kind of mucks in together,’ Helen told The Telegraph. She continued: ‘I can get up in my pyjamas, pull my boots on, pull my dad’s coat on, walk across the fields with the dog and what a joyous way to start the day.’ The Countryfile presenter said that she and the children are ‘really happy, and that’s all that really matters’. Helen also has no interest in looking for love for the time being, stating that she has ‘loads to be thankful for’ while focusing on her children.It comes after Helen’s Strictly professional dance partner Gorka Marquez praised the star for her efforts on the dancefloor after going through a marriage breakdown. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoFollowing their performance this weekend and the judges’ comments, Gorka began: ‘Can I just say something? I know you [Helen] have been having a difficult time and I know you’ve been made to feel like you’re not

Helen Skelton has fully immersed herself into this year's Strictly Come Dancing, and is relishing every moment with her dance partner Gorka Marquez.MORE: Strictly's Jayde Adams praises 'confident independent' Helen Skelton after candid confessionHowever, her decision to compete in this year's series took some convincing. The 39-year-old - who split from her husband Richie Myler in April - was encouraged to take part thanks to one friend.WATCH: Helen Skelton shares behind-the-scenes glimpse of hilarious Strictly rehearsalIn an extremely candid interview with The Telegraph, the Countryfile presenter shared: "I was talking to my best friend about it and I was like, 'I'm not sure, there's the kids and the press and it will be full-on.'MORE: Helen Skelton addresses split during Lorraine Kelly interviewSEE: 10 cutest photos of Helen Skelton's three children"And she just went, 'You're going to get paid to dance around with a fit guy, people are going to put makeup on you, and you’ve got to work.

Helen Skelton, 39, has opened up about family changes as she spoke candidly about her life following her marriage split.The Strictly Come Dancing star and her three children - Ernie, 7, Louis, 5, and nine-month-old Elsie - are now living on the family farm in Cumbria.The Countryfile presenter, who co-parents with her former husband Richie Myler - opened up about the decision in a new interview.Helen confirmed she was now back with her mum and dad, who look after her children while she's in London for work commitments, including Strictly where she is partnered with Gorka Marquez.The on-screen presenter admitted she is used to moving around as the family often changed locations due to her ex-husband's career as a rugby player.The TV star previously lived in France and also in Spain for some time.Helen admitted it can be "full on" but she has the support of her friends and family, who all "muck in" and help one another.Speaking about moving back to her childhood Cumbrian village, she told the Telegraph: "You know how they say it takes a village?"I think you don’t realise who your mates are and how much family you’ve got – and I didn’t.

Helen Skelton's ex-husband Richie Myler has shared a rare family snap with his children to Instagram, following the news that his new girlfriend is pregnant with his child. The 32 year old professional rugby league player enjoyed a day out with his mother, Margaret, and his and Helen's three children, Ernie, seven, Louis, five, and Elsie Kate, nine months. In one snap, Richie's children could be seen seated in a sports stadium, perhaps ready to watch their father play rugby, as in the second snap, Richie could be seen smiling next to his sons in his uniform.

Helen Skelton, 39, and her Strictly dance partner Gorka Marquez, 32, have broken their social media silence after they insisted they were “busy concentrating on the dance” for the upcoming live Strictly show.The pair, who are rehearsing ahead of the BBC 100 Strictly special, recorded themselves taking a break from practice, updating eager fans who missed the pair during their absence.Posting the video on his Instagram stories, a worn-out Helen sat in the background while Gorka said: “Wednesday update.

Helen Skelton is living with her parents after having moved out of her family home she used to share with estranged husband Richie Myler in Leeds. Helen, 39, and rugby star Richie, 32, share three children together, and announced the devastating news earlier this year that they were ending their relationship after almost 10 years of marriage. In light of this, Helen has moved back to her parents farm in the Lake District.

Helen Skelton is doing so well on Strictly Come Dancing, where her dance partner Gorka Marquez has been encouraging her every week.Despite his thoughtful and emotional pep talk during Saturday's show, however, Helen remains self-deprecating about her abilities.MORE: Helen Skelton shares hilariously relatable moment during Strictly rehearsalsIn fact, on Wednesday, she took to her Instagram Stories, when she claimed that her children are much better performers than she is!Sharing an image of herself outside her children's Harvest Festival celebration, she wrote: "Heart full [red heart emoji]".The mum-of-three went on: "Kids are defo better performing than me," adding laughing and winking emojis.WATCH: Gemma Atkinson responds after fiancé Gorka Marquez's comments on Helen SkeltonOn Saturday, Helen pulled off an impressive Paso Doble with her dance partner.MORE: Strictly's Gorka Marquez message to Helen Skelton as she admits 'what a week'SEE: Strictly's Helen Skelton: see 10 cutest photos of the star's childrenBefore the judges revealed the pair's scores, Gorka sweetly said: "Can I just say something? I know you have been having a difficult time and I know you've been made to feel like you're not beautiful, or good enough, or anything but if you don't believe in yourself, I believe in you. Helen shared the sweet post on Instagram"Everybody here believes in you.

FURIOUS Strictly Come Dancing fans have claimed Helen Skelton was underscored on Saturday night. The Countryfile star, who is dancing with Gorka Marquez, wowed those watching at home as she performed an energetic paso doble to Tamacun by Rodrigo y Gabriela.

somehow miss the point of her. Here she is, not long after 7am on a Friday morning, bounding into a café in west London with all the enthusiasm you might expect of a former Blue Peter presenter who once kayaked solo down the Amazon, and cycled to the South Pole.There is not a trace of self pity evident on her fresh and fearless face, which has travelled here by motorbike, because… well, why not? Skelton is, after all, the kind of person who agreed to run the 78-mile Namibian ultra marathon in 2009, a feat so gruelling that she became only the second woman in history to complete it. In comparison, most things are a doddle.The 39-year-old dumps her stuff at the table, has a quick FaceTime with her kids – Ernie, seven, Louis, five and Elsie, now nine months old, who are back home in Cumbria with their grandparents – and proceeds to order two lattes in quick succession.

Strictly Come Dancing star Simon Webbe has admitted that he left his co-stars “disappointed” because he didn’t pursue his dance partner Kristina Rihanoff.The Blue singer appeared on Strictly back in 2014 and placed second after series winner Caroline Flack.During a Facebook Live interview with Daily Star, the 43-year-old revealed that he deliberately requested a dance partner that was single.READ MORE: Strictly star says BBC show is 'like a cult' and compares it to 'being on drugs'Webbe claimed he wanted to avoid the drama and so-called "Strictly curse" rumours that tend to circulate and came up with a clever plan.He explained: “That's very important for me because I didn't want my experience of the show to be overshadowed by the Strictly curse, so to speak. I was single at the time and it was nice to be able to just dance and it [didn’t] mean: ‘Ooh, you fancy each other,’ or: ‘Are you going to get it on?'”The star continued: “Being honest, that's the kinda thing that was going on behind the scenes.

Strictly star Gemma Atkinson has sent a sweet message to Helen Skelton after her fiancé Gorka Marquez spoke out about Helen's "difficult time" on Saturday's (October 15) episode of the show. He gushed over his dance partner on Saturday saying that she should "believe" in herself.It looks as if his fiancé Gemma agrees with him as she took to Instagram with a picture of them and wrote: "Absolutely!!!! What he said!!!" READ MORE: Gemma Atkinson in wardrobe malfunction as she spills out of towel with Strictly fiancé She didn't stop there, as she then shared a picture of Helen and Gorka back stage and wrote: "So proud!"Having the trust and respect from your pro dancer on Strictly is everything.

Helen Skelton shared a glimpse of her day-to-day life on Strictly Come Dancing, and her latest update will certainly strike a chord.MORE: Strictly's Matt Goss opens up about rare condition amid emotional exit from showTaking to her Instagram Stories, the Countryfile presenter posted a behind-the-scenes snippet of herself pausing for a moment of light relief.WATCH: Helen Skelton shares rare glimpse of hilarious Strictly rehearsalReclining on a sofa, the mum-of-three candidly filmed herself eating a bar of chocolate as Fleur East and Vito Coppola danced up a storm. Helen's professional dance partner Gorka Marquez joined the trio and filmed the impromptu performance.MORE: Strictly's Gorka Marquez message to Helen Skelton as she admits 'what a week'SEE: Strictly's Helen Skelton: see 10 cutest photos of the star's childrenThe dance partners put their training to the test and performed a series of sassy dance moves – we're talking snake hips!Alongside the hilarious video, Helen included the caption: "Insight into my life at the min… @gorkamarquez making the content for everyone. Me eating chocolate.

HELEN Skelton and Gorka Marquez recovered from a long day of Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals with beer and a takeaway. Countryfile host Helen, 39, was snapped getting a round in for her and Gorka, 32, as they relaxed after a gruelling 10-hour session. Meanwhile Gorka collected a bag of food before they headed up to their hotel room for the evening.

After eight years dancing together on the BBC hit show, former Strictly pros Janette Manrara and Aljaž Škorjanec are learning to live like a normal couple as they focus on their separate careers. Here, they open up about the emotional shift in their 11-year relationship and reveal why the time apart has brought them closer than ever. Are you an OK! VIP? If not, why not? It’s free and gives you backstage access to stories like this, exclusive home tours, special discounts and so much more! All you need to do is pop your email address below! P.s.

Strictly Come Dancing's Helen Skelton was publicly assured by pro partner Gorka Marquez that she was "beautiful", even if she didn't think so herself, but that the impetus to change her thought patterns about what she was capable of had to come from her. Helen has now issued a triumphant response, telling her 337,000 Instagram fans: "Sometimes you just got to get on the table and say 'OLE'." (sic)Helen, 39, and Gorka, 34, performed on Saturday night to the Spanish tune of Tamacun by Rodrigo y Gabriela, which earnt the pair a very respectable score on the leaderboard of 29 points.However, Gorka believed that his Celebrity SAS star partner, whose marriage broke down earlier this year, needed a boost in the self-confidence stakes.As the pair awaited their scores, he announced passionately: "Everyone believes in you.I know you have been having a difficult time and...

The Strictly Come Dancing ballroom may have only just been emptied for another week but fans of the show are already discussing the upcoming week after the latest song and dance choices were revealed.