As Eden’s dancing queen Helen Skelton comes to the end of her Strictly Come Dancing journey, she reflects on her time on the dancefloor.
Helen admits she was not comfortable when she took to the dancefloor for her first foray on Strictly Come Dancing three months ago.
But the TV presenter has blossomed on the primetime BBC One show – and now is within inches of bringing the glitterball trophy back to Cumbria.
Partnered with professional dancer Gorka Marquez, the pair have been rehearsing non-stop in Penrith and Helen credits him with bringing out her best in the live shows.
“He keeps talking about my ‘journey’ but he did it. He kept talking about being sassy and powerful and in control and that’s a wonderfully freeing thing for anybody,” she laughs. “We did it together,” retorts Gorka.
Now the pair have to impress in the Strictly final with three dances.
They have chosen their dance from musicals week — to Cabaret’s Mein Herr; judges have asked them to perform their jive from week seven to Tightrope by Janelle Monae and they will also have to perform a showdance to Shine by Emeli Sandé.
“I’m really excited to be a finalist,” she says, “I think last week was quite tense, two dances and a lot to play for, but this week, yes it is stressful, but I would say we’ve had our best week so far.”
Helen, who grew up in Appleby, adds: “What would it mean to me to win the final? I feel like we’ve won it. The fact we’re here and smiling and having a good time.
“We’ve spent every day together for the last three months and we’re still smiling and laughing. I have a bank of marvellous memories for me and my family.”
Helen and Gorka have not been in a dance-off for the entire series and Helen says she is really grateful.
She says: “I didn’t really think about it until this week. It’s a massive compliment and we’re very grateful. For us the messages we are getting every week are quite overwhelming, quite lovely.”
The couple have still not managed to be awarded a perfect score of 40 — their top mark so far has been 39.
Gorka has spent the past three months building up Helen’s confidence – even though it has irritated her at times. She says: “He keeps making me walk on stage by myself and I keep saying to him ‘Why? No one else has to walk on their own’!”
But from her tentative steps in week one, the audience has cheered her on and she is now an accomplished dancer.
This was never more apparent than musicals week, when the pair first performed to Mein Herr – and the audience saw a side of Helen not normally on display on Countryfile.
Helen says: “That was a moment for us when everyone started screaming and I though ooooh, they’re liking that and I’ve never had that.”
But she adds: “Confidence is all relative, isn’t it? But yes, I’ve definitely found my confidence on that dancefloor, and I enjoy it and that’s what it’s about. I think every week, we get so many messages from people who share things about their lives and that’s the ultimate.
“It’s a privilege to be in people’s living room on a Saturday night and if one person has thought ‘oh I’m going to take on something difficult’ then we’ve done our job’.”
Blackpool was another high point for the couple. She adds: “Every week we train up north, so it felt a bit like a home turf for me. It was a nice week and all our families were there. This is why you do it, so your families are proud of you.”
Gorka and Helen are remaining tightlipped about the moves they will be performing as part of the show dance, but Gorka says it is a celebration and a thank you to everyone who has supported them.
And after the final? “Who knows if I’ll keep dancing?” Helen says – but adds that Gorka will definitely be dropping into the family farm after she was filming Channel 5 series On the Winter Farm last week in Yorkshire.
“He kept wanting to ride a horse and I kept having to tell him no, I needed him for a couple of weeks,” she laughs.
She will however, be recommending Strictly to her work colleagues.
She says: “I’ve been trying to persuade John Craven to do this show for years because I think his family will love it but he was always ‘no, no, no’ but I think a few of them definitely would, they see the joy.”
