After months of fuelling speculation that their warm on-screen chemistry has turned into something more, Helen Skelton has at last spoken about her bond with Morning Live co-host Gethin Jones — just a week after the pair were spotted cosying up yet again on a red carpet.
The 42-year-old presenter, who split from ex-husband Richie Myler in 2022, admitted that she and Jones are now so close that they sometimes “forget we’re even on air” while filming the BBC One show.
“We’re all in the same frame of mind,” Helen told Prima magazine. “The tricky bit is that we’re such good mates that sometimes we forget we’re on air. I see my work friends as much as I do my real friends.”
She added: “I’ve been friends with Michelle and Gethin for 25 years. Geth was on Blue Peter before me, so we’ve always crossed paths — and Michelle and I were flatmates when we lived in London.”
The comments come after Helen and Gethin, 47, posed side by side at the Pride of Britain Awards in October, before stepping out together again at last month’s Royal Television Society Awards — doing little to quiet rumours that their long-standing friendship may have blossomed into romance.
Sources have suggested their relationship became more than platonic earlier this year and, although reports briefly claimed it had “cooled”, their recent red-carpet appearances suggest the connection may still be going strong.
Helen, mum to Ernie, 10, Louis, eight, and three-year-old Elsie, revealed that she has finally let go of the mum-guilt she once felt about returning to work, after realising her children actually love what she does.
“I used to stress about going back to work after having my kids, but now they’re proud of me,” she said. “My eldest is gutted every year that I can’t do Strictly.
“Every now and again they say something that brings me to my knees — like when one of them recently said, ‘My mum’s Helen Skelton’. They also think I’m completely embarrassing.” v
Helen admitted she would have loved to have more children, saying: “I would have had more kids until this stage — I really would. I really like it. The no sleeping and no routine — working in telly is really good training for that.”
However, she explained she isn’t planning to expand her family further because she wants to be fully present for the three children she already has.
“I’m really conscious that I’m at that stage where they all really want me — and I want to be there for them all.”
Turning 40 has also changed her outlook on life. Helen says she’s learned to embrace chaos rather than fight it.
“Something I’ve really embraced since turning 40 is that sense of acceptance: ‘We are who we are.’ That’s my mantra,” she laughed. “My house is chaos, my car’s a tip, I’m probably going to be late.
“I’ll turn up to a kid’s birthday party without the present wrapped, and when my friends come to dinner, they bring their own food. I’m chaotic — but I’m great fun!”
The full interview with Helen Skelton appears in the January issue of Prima, on sale now.
