TV presenter Helen Skelton talks getting into shape post-pregnancy, being a busy working mum and how the Olympics inspired her…
Helen Skelton is the picture of health. Bouncing around the studio at our photo shoot, she’s naturally bronzed and bursting with energy, barely breaking into a sweat as she holds the perfect plank – smiling throughout. Life in the south of France – where she now lives with her husband Richie, who plays rugby league for Catalan Dragons, and their son Ernie, 17 months – clearly suits her.
The 33-year-old has had a busy summer, presenting the swimming and diving at the Olympics in Rio, and filming for Countryfile. The latter involved cycling to the Somme for the 100th anniversary, joining 100-odd riders on a 250-mile route. Helen cycled two sections – 80 miles and 40 miles – without any training. ‘I don’t have a bike in France,’ she reveals, ‘so I just went and did it!’
It’s that gung-ho attitude to exercise that has seen the former Blue Peter presenter survive many an extreme challenge in the past – kayaking 2,010 miles down the Amazon river (breaking two world records in the process), cycling to the South Pole, numerous marathons, even walking a 150-metre tightrope between chimneys at Battersea Power Station, 66 metres above ground. But, of all these extreme feats, it was completing the ultra-marathon in Namibia – 80 miles across the desert in a day – that still makes Helen the most proud. ‘I’m not a natural runner,’ she says. ‘Before I started training, I couldn’t run for 10 minutes. I trained for three months and my coach took me from zero [miles] to 80 in three months. It took a lot of effort but if I can do it, anyone can! I started by running for 10 minutes, then half an hour, then an hour – I felt like I was on a treadmill for the whole of January before doing the event in the March!’
‘I exercise with Ernie’
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