Helen Skelton has opened up about her friendship with Gethin Jones following rumours that the pair are in a relationship.
The co-hosts of BBC series Morning Live have known each other for 25 years, but recently were speculated to have started a romance after a string of red carpet appearances together.
However, Skelton, who separated from husband Richie Myler in 2022, has maintained that they are just friends – adding that they’re “such good mates” they often forget they’re on live TV alongside fellow presenter Michelle Ackerley.
“I’ve been friends with Michelle and Gethin for 25 years,” she told Prima magazine. “Geth was on Blue Peter before me, so we’ve always crossed paths, and Michelle and I were flatmates when we lived in London.”
Jones hosted Blue Peter from 2005 to 2008, with Skelton joining the series six months after Jones’s departure.
“We’re all in the same frame of mind,” she continued. “The tricky bit is, we’re such good mates that sometimes we forget we’re on air.”
Appearing to pour cold water on the relationship rumours with Jones, Skelton said: “I see my work friends as much as I do my real friends.”
Of her 2022 split from her husband, Skelton said: “Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children.”
They have three children: Ernie, 10, Louis, eight, and Elsie, three.
Speaking about life after the separation, she said that her kids were happy, stating: “That’s all ultimately that matters.”
“I don’t see myself as a victim,” she added. “There are a lot of people who have been in my situation who haven’t been given the opportunities that I’ve got.
“Don’t get me wrong, I have my days when I’m pissed off. But equally, in this job, you’re in a lot of people’s lives, which gives you a phenomenal amount of perspective.”
Skelton also said she signed up to compete on Strictly Come Dancing months after the split as “sometimes you just need to jump on the opportunity and chance to put a big smile on your face”.
However, she admitted that she wasn’t initially convinced the BBC competition would be a good idea until her best friend intervened. Skelton finished in second place behind wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin.
In August 2023, Skelton quit her Sunday slot on Radio 5 Live so she could spend more time with her children.
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