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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Rebecca Cook

Helen Skelton shares how 'emotional months' on Strictly left her questioning personal life

Strictly Come Dancing star Helen Skelton opened up about her emotional months on the BBC One ballroom dancing show after she broke down in tears before her performance on Sunday.

The Countryfile star told viewers she feels like a ‘different person’ on the show following a difficult few months, which saw her split from her husband Richie Myler earlier this year.

Helen made the admission in the VT which aired before she took to the floor to perform her Samba with her pro partner Gorka Marquez.

During an appearance on Strictly spin-off It Takes Two, the TV presenter again touched on the VT which aired ahead of her performance at the Blackpool Tower last week.

Host Janette Manrara asked Helen what her stint on Strictly has meant to her, acknowledging it had been an ‘emotional few months’ in her life.

The TV presenter again touched on the VT (BBC)

Helen replied: “I came into this and I underestimated it, because I thought, ‘It’s dancing and nice dresses and interesting people’.

“But it’s weird, it's so much more than that. It makes you ask questions of yourself that you don’t ask.

“I’m a 39-year-old woman with three kids and you do your job and your relationships and your house and your career and all of that – and you don’t really just challenge yourself and find joy in yourself. So it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions that I didn't expect.”

Helen said the show makes you 'ask questions of yourself that you don’t ask' typically (BBC)

Smiling as she replied, Janette told viewers: “This is not just a dance show everybody.”

The Strictly VT saw the mum-of-three during an emotional chat with partner Gorka, as she said: “I definitely am a different person from when we started and for me, what has been…”

She went on to break down in tears, telling Gorka: “Sorry, I’m sorry,” as he reassured her.

She continued: “I think even you say I’m a different person from day one, right?”

The Strictly VT saw the mum-of-three during an emotional chat with partner Gorka (BBC)

Helen added of her dad Richard: “He just looked at me and said ‘You seem like you again’ and I’m certainly a different person than when we started.”

Strictly Come Dancing's 2022 quarter-final is just days away and is airing on the earlier day of Friday due to the World Cup coverage on the BBC.

The upcoming live show will see the remaining six celebrities battle for the top spot on the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard after Ellie Taylor became the latest star to be eliminated from the competition.

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