‘If I Can Do It Anyone Can'

TV presenter Helen Skelton talks getting into shape post-pregnancy, being a busy working mum and how the Olympics inspired her…

- Jo Willacy

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’