Helen Skelton lifts lid on past Strictly experience – and if it’ll give her an advantage

HELEN Skelton has lifted the lid on her past Strictly experience – and if it’ll give her an advantage this year.

The Countryfile presenter previously competed on the 2012 Strictly Christmas Special.

Helen danced a Jive to All I Want for Christmas with former pro Artem Chigvintsev but failed to win the festive trophy.

However, Strictly fans always think past dance experience – particularly on the show itself – can be an advantage for the main series, but Helen doesn’t agree.

Speaking to The Celeb Report Online, she explained: “It was four days. People are like ‘Oh you’ve done it before’, it was four days.

“But I think it was a good chance – at our first rehearsal everyone was like ‘woah’ – but because I had had that previous experience I was OK, but still a lot to take in.”

Chatting alongside fellow contestant Ellie Taylor, she added: “And when you’ve worked in TV studios, we’re lucky because we’ve had a bit of that before and that’s why you like it and that’s why you come back.

“I feel really grateful that some of the people I worked with on the crew worked on Blue Peter [when she was there] back in 2008.”

Helen has already been forced to laugh off ‘fix’ claims after it was revealed she had won a tap dancing competition when she was younger.

Appearing on Lorraine last Wednesday, Helen said: “I found it so funny when they said it was a fix – Helen’s a tap dancing champion. When I was seven, yes, I did tap dancing.”

She added: “Like lots of little girls and boys, I did dancing and absolutely loved it. Hit an age where I didn’t want to be in a leotard in public and I gave it up. I wish I hadn’t.”

As well as her presenting duties, Helen has to juggle looking after her three children – which she shares with estranged husband Richie Myler – as well.

Helen – who confirmed her split from Richie in April this year – told The Celeb Report Online: “Most people who are working parents go to work but you don’t know, whereas when we go to work, people see it.

“Also, I find a lot of the time, amazingly, a lot of the people I work with are really efficient, so we get a lot done in a day.

“Because in our world, or my world in particular, you can film or record three things in a day and it looks like you’ve been away for a week.”

Strictly Come Dancing begins on Saturday, September 17 at 6.10pm on BBC One.