Helen Skelton reveals why she refuses to hire childcare after Richie Myler split

Helen Skelton has opened up about the struggles of being a single parent of three children, and the ‘mum guilt’ she faces over balancing her work commitments with her personal life. 

The Countryfile presenter is a proud mum to three young children – Ernie, seven, Louis, five, and six-month-old daughter Elsie – who she shares with ex-husband Richie Myler. 

Since splitting from Richie in April after eight years of marriage, Helen has been forced to adjust to a new reality of life juggling three youngsters with going back to work and finding time for herself. 

She has the support of her own mother who steps in to help with the kids while she’s busy with TV projects, including recently filming the Channel 5 series Summer on the Farm, but Helen is determined not to hire full-time childcare so she can spend as much time with her brood as possible. 

‘Life is a bit crazy with three children and I’m not going to lie, getting the kids to school is just chaos. It’s hard to split yourself three ways,’ the presenter admitted. 

‘I don’t want to commit to childcare as if I’m off I want to be with the kids, so my mum comes to stay when I’m working,’ Helen told Hello! Magazine. 

She continued: ‘That whole thing about “it takes a village”, I believe that. You need to be with people who are in the same boat, otherwise the mum guilt can be suffocating.

‘Sometimes I am a full-time mum with the guilt of thinking I should be out working, and other times I am a working mum with the guilt that I’m not at home with them.’ 

It’s been three months since Helen, 38, announced she had split from Richie, 31, claiming he had left the family home. 

During her recent appearance on Lorraine this month, Helen was asked about her personal issues but avoided addressing the marriage breakdown, instead focusing on her juggling the children. 

‘It’s uncharacteristically calm around here this morning – because I’m working this week, my mum has come to stay for the week, she doesn’t leave near, so she’s got the kids off to school,’ she told the host. 

‘It’s the same drill every day and yet somehow it’s still chaos!’ she said, before adding: ‘Mum’s in control but she forgot to put her granny magic onto the dog there, sorry!’

After reassuring her it was fine, Lorraine replied: ‘It’s great that you’ve got that support and you’ve got that back up so you can go and do what you do best.’

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