18 October 2023 , 11:05
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Richie Myler, who was married to Strictly star, Helen Skelton, has broken his silence to reveal the 'sickening' abuse he says has been aimed at his family.
The Leeds Rhinos rugby player, 33, split up with the Countryfile star, 40, last year before moving on with new partner, Stephanie Thirkill. Mum-of-three Helen said she was "blindsided" by the break-up, which was announced when the former couple's youngest daughter, Elsie, was just four months old.
Following the split, Richie, who became a dad again in April when Stephanie gave birth to the couple's first child, says he's been subjected to "disgusting and derogatory" comments made on a social media gossip site. Taking to Instagram in a lengthy statement, he said he'd contacted the police about the messages, sharing: "For over 12 months there has been several individuals who have felt the need to write derogatory and disgusting comments about me and my family on this awful website.
Helen Skelton's ex, Richie Myler has hit out at the cruel abuse he's received from trolls (Instagram)
Richie says his family has been subjected to vile online abuse (Instagram)"This is not just people having an opinion on somebody else's life choices, these 4,000 comments (all by the same six or seven accounts) are harmful and sickening. Three accounts have been successfully uncovered, and thanks to North Yorkshire Police, which is taking this very seriously, are now been fully investigated as an open case. If anyone on here has any information on this, please direct message me or contact North Yorkshire Police. Thanks."
When contacted by the Mirror, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police, said: "North Yorkshire Police received a report last week that a man had received threatening letters and been the subject of abusive comments online. Enquiries are at an early stage, and are ongoing."
Helen Skelton says Strictly 'made her remember who she is' after marriage split
Helen and Richie were married for eight years before their shock split (helenskelton/Instagram)Tattle Life brands itself as a commentary website on public business social media accounts, "allowing commentary and critiques of people that choose to monetise their personal life as a business and release it into the public domain". It adds that it has a zero-tolerance policy to any content that is abusive, hateful or harmful, and a team of moderators working 24/7 to remove any content that breaks its strict rules, often in minutes.
Richie and Helen separated in April 2022, four months after their baby daughter Elsie was born. The couple were married for more than eight years and share three children, Ernie, eight, Louis, six, and Elsie, one.
The former Blue Peter host remained silent on her split but has since opened up about the shock split in her new autobiography, In My Stride. Revealing her heartache after separating from the rugby player, Helen says the break-up sparked her decision to sign up for Strictly. Admitting she was "blindsided" when Richie called time on their eight-year marriage, she writes: "I was in shock. I know that following break-ups, people often say they didn’t see it coming and it sounds like a cliche, but that was me."