15 August 2023 , 12:28
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Dan Walker has thrown his support behind Helen Skelton - with the former BBC Breakfast host praising the under fire radio and television star.
The 46-year-old quit the BBC last year to take up a position as a news host at Channel 5 - while 40-year-old Helen recently ended her Radio 5 Live show after a year of being on air. And while Helen has come under fire in recent weeks over some product plugging, Dan is standing by her and praising her as one of the best stars in the presenting business.
Dan was a guest on The Jeremy Vine Show on Tuesday morning - which is currently being hosted by Matt Allwright while Jezza is off on his summer holidays. Helen was factored into conversation due to the fact she and Dan are co-hosting a new TV show together.
The pair - who have both competed on Strictly Come Dancing in the past - are fronting their new travel series Dan & Helen’s Pennine Adventure which will see them traversing the northern regions of England. And Dan had high praise for his co-star as he gushed about working with her and knowing her on a personal level while also addressing her recent Radio 5 Live exit.
Dan Walker had high praise for BBC star Helen Skelton (@helenskelton/Instagram)Dan said: “She is a great Mum. She is an incredibly dedicated Mum to her three children and she would say if she were here this morning – she’s not, she is with her kids this morning - she would say that parents are making compromises all the time.
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“Of her three children, two of them play football on a Sunday morning and she’s made the decision practically she would much rather watch them play football and encourage them to do that than be on the radio at that time. And I think that is a decision that parents are making all the time.”
He continued: “And anyone who ever spends any time with Helen or watches her on her programmes, all she does is speak about her kids. She’s a brilliant Mum and when we were filming the show, we made sure that we did it around both of our families as well - as parents have to do all the time. I hope she is not getting any flak for it ‘coz she is lovely to spend time with, lovely to work with.”
Dan lavished compliments on his co-star while appearing on The Jeremy Vine Show on Tuesday (Channel 5)Helen shares her three children with rugby league player Richie Myler who she married in 2013 but split from in 2022. He has since moved on and father another child with his heiress girlfriend Stephanie Thirkill. The brutal split left Helen shaken and she recently admitted she feels a strange sensation of guilt now that she is getting back out on the dating scene herself.
A source told Closer Magazine last week: “Helen’s family and friends encouraged her to get back out there and she was happy to dip her toe back into the dating scene, but she has had some wobbles and found herself feeling guilty. She’s concerned about who to let into her life and worried about being judged for any decisions she makes.”
Meanwhile, the star has been under fire at the BBC amid allegations she’s been plugging products - which goes against Beeb policy. Helen had her knuckles rapped earlier this month after bosses discovered she had been tagging fashion, jewellery and cake brands on Instagram posts - which breaches strict BBC guidelines that insist: “no on-air talent should promote products, goods, services or clothing they use”.