Helen Skelton seemingly brushed off her estranged husband Richie Myler’s claims she is trying to holding up divorce proceedings as she stepped out in London on Friday.
The Countryfile presenter, 40, was seen for the first time since breaking her silence on the breakdown of her marriage.
Helen, whose book is out now, cut a stylish figure as she headed to Virgin Radio.
Hours earlier, sources close to Richie claimed Helen was delaying their divorce over fears he will propose to his partner Stephanie Thirkill, 33.
Richie, 33, and Helen separated in April 2022 after eight years of marriage and shortly afterwards the rugby league ace started a new romance with Stephanie, the daughter of the multi-millionaire President of the Leeds Rhinos club he plays for.
High spirits: Helen Skelton seemingly brushed off her estranged husband Richie Myler ‘s claims she is trying to holding up divorce proceedings as she stepped out in London on Friday
Hours earlier, Richie had claimed Helen was delaying their divorce over fears he will propose to his partner Stephanie Thirkill, 33
12 months later they welcomed their first baby together.
As she continued her promotional book tour, Helen didn’t let the grey and rainy weather in the capital dampen her spirits as she fuelled up on caffeine.
The television personality, who was a little windswept as she made her way to the radio studio, looked chic in a green silk midi skirt, cowboy boots and a grey bomber jacket.
It comes as Helen’s estranged husband Richie accused the Strictly star of ‘dragging her heels over divorce proceedings’ and ‘preventing him from moving forward with his life’.
The BBC favourite is yet to sign off their divorce despite receiving the decree nisi approved by the courts saying there is no reason why the couple cannot formally separate.
A source close to the exes says Helen’s refusal to cooperate has left Richie ‘frustrated because he wants to move on with his life’ and ‘nobody can understand her continued delay.’
They explained: ‘There is a feeling that Helen’s resistance to sign the papers is because she is fearful Richie will propose to new partner Stephanie and she’s just not ready to cope with that.’
A separate source said: ‘Helen is the person who filed for divorce and while it’s incredibly emotional saying goodbye to her marriage, there’s no reason why she would want to prevent it from being official.’
Fuelling up on caffeine: Helen, who has released her new book, cut a stylish figure as she headed to Virgin Radio on her promotional tour
Stylish display: The television personality, who was a little windswept as she made her way to the radio studio, looked chic in a green silk midi skirt, cowboy boots and a grey bomber jacket
Awkward: It comes as Helen’s estranged husband Richie accused the Strictly star of ‘dragging her heels over divorce proceedings’ and ‘preventing him from moving forward with his life’
MailOnline revealed in August Helen was issued a decree nisi and from September 26 the former Blue Peter presenter was able to apply for a decree absolute, which will officially end her marriage to Richie.
But according to a source, Helen, who is the only party that can apply for the decree absolute given she filed for the divorce, and her solicitor have gone ‘radio silent’ and Richie is struggling to understand the reason for the holdup.
Richie and new partner Stephanie welcomed their daughter Olivia in May, with pals close to the pair saying their long-term plan is to one day get married.
Two weeks ago, Stephanie commented on an Instagram post shared by Richie marking the end of the 2023 rugby season, saying she was ‘proud’ of him ‘both on and off the pitch.’
Meanwhile, Helen is the primary carer for her children Ernie, eight, Louis, six, and 22-month-old Elsie.
MailOnline has contacted Helen and Richie’s representatives for comment.
Family: Helen, who shares sons Ernie, eight, Louis, six, and 22-month-old daughter Elsie with Richie, wants the sportsman as a constant in her life so their children have a father figure
Over: The couple were married for over eight years and share three children, including their youngest Elsie, who was born four months before Helen announced their split (pictured 2014)
The news follows the release of Helen’s autobiography In My Stride, in which she speaks about the former couple’s split for the first time.
She wrote according to The Sun: ‘I was in shock. I know that following break-ups, people often say they didn’t see it coming and it sounds like a cliche, but that was me.’
Despite her hurt she will ensure Richie is a constant in her life so her children always have a father figure.
And she is refusing to delete pictures of herself and Richie taken during the happy times they shared together which she has posted on social media.
She insists: ‘I want them to know that we loved each other, but things change and that’s OK too.’
Helen was so distraught after her split from Richie she was unable to tell her parents at first.
She claims she kept it a secret from them for some time as she did not want to ‘inflict’ pain on them.
But when her father noticed her spending a lot of time on her own with her children at her marital home, he surprised her with a visit from Cumbria.
Helen wrote: ‘He immediately stepped in, knowing I needed him, even though I didn’t want to admit it.’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12628107/Helen-Skelton-ex-husband-Richie-Myler-divorce-marriage-split.html
