'Being adventurous is in my blood'

TV presenter, radio host and keen adventurer, Helen Skelton is one of Britain’s best-loved icons. Women’s Fitness catches up with the star to chat about her love of the outdoors and secrets to success

- By Suzanne Baum

SKELTON’S STEPS TO DE-STRESS

1. ‘Go to the driving range and hit some golf balls!’

2. ‘Have a punch bag at home.’

3. ‘Go on a hilly bike ride, as it forces you to pedal hard to get to the top, and then you can breathe out and release the stress as you go downhill!’

You don’t need any dancing skills to keep in step with Helen Skelton. For her bubbly personality and endless energy is so infectious, it’s difficult not to catch up. And it comes as no surprise that, for someone who walks and talks (a lot), she is most certainly the cream of the crop, both on and off the television.

From her BBC 5Live radio show and stint on Strictly Come Dancing, to being a mum-of-three and avid adventurer, Skelton seems to take everything in her stride. And that is all down to what she describes as having a good family support around her and being happy in her career – one that has made her such a well-known and much loved household name.

Skelton started her presenting career at Newsround before landing a dream role at Blue Peter, which she co-hosted between 2008 and 2013. Since then, she has been the face of numerous shows – perhaps best-known for being the presenter of Countryfile and, most recently of course, the runner up of Strictly Come Dancing. However, the 39-year-old, who was raised on a dairy farm outside of Cumbria, is most at home working on her hit Channel 5 show On The Farm, where she celebrates all things farming.