Helen Skelton once revealed how she felt ‘isolated’ and ‘lonely’ after moving to France for husband Richie Myler’s career.Â
The Countryfile presenter announced this week that she had , who has ‘left the family home’ after eight years of marriage.Â
They are parents to three children; Ernie, six, Louis, five, and three-month-old Elsie Kate.
In a resurfaced interview, Helen, 38, detailed how challenging she found it when she uprooted her life and moved to France when Richie, 31, switched teams to play for the Catalan Dragons in September 2015.
While still living in France, the TV star fell pregnant with their second son Louis and eventually gave birth to him on the kitchen floor in April 2017 when Richie was in England.
To add to the drama, Helen had to rely on firemen who had arrived but had no experience of delivering a baby, alongside two of Richie’s teammates wives.Â
Recalling her experience of relocating, Helen in 2018: ‘I didn’t speak the language and I felt so isolated that I used to go into the local tourist office just to talk to someone who could speak English.
‘The loneliness was crushing even though the French wives and girlfriends would invite me on their nights out, which was kind.
‘I would try to keep up by laughing and nodding – then somebody would ask if I understood and I would say no. They thought I was bonkers.’
Richie has not spoken about his split from Helen, who shared a brief statement in her Instagram stories on Monday night, saying: ‘Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple. He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co parent our small children.’
A source has since , telling OK! Magazine: ‘It’s so sad, but friends don’t think there is a way back for them. She’s really sad about it. Friends are really worried for her, but there is no way back sadly.’
