My son Ernie is loudest so he controls the remote
After rising to fame as a Blue Peter presenter, Helen now hosts Countryfile, Big Week at the Zoo and The Instant Gardener. She lives in Yorkshire with her rugby player husband Richie Myler and their two children. Here, Helen talks TV faves and tightrope terror...
What have you enjoyed watching on TV recently?
I loved The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan because he’s hilarious and such a nice guy. I also enjoy reruns of the chat show Ellen, and Sky One’s Riviera for a bit of glamorous drama.
Who controls the remote?
My eldest son Ernie, four, because he’s the loudest in the family. He’ll just shout, “Mum, let’s watch this” and it’s usually The Greatest Showman, which he watches on repeat.
What snacks do you eat while you’re watching TV?
Sweet popcorn is a big favourite of mine, plus lots of strawberries and cherry tomatoes, and crisps such as Quavers and Pom-Bears.
Do you have any TV guilty pleasures?
I have literally seen every single episode of Homes Under the Hammer. I’m obsessed with it.
Describe your living room...
I want to say that it’s classy, calm and luxurious with big velvet sofas and a dark green colour scheme. But my two kids – Ernie and his two-year-old brother Louis – are fabulously feral. So the room is usually a scene of chaos as they build dens out of cushions and bounce around the place.
Are people scared of you since you beat Love Island’s Camilla Thurlow in a celebrity boxing match for BBC Sport Relief?
Ha! I actually hate any kind of confrontation or argument in real life. I was really up for that fight because I’d trained in some of the hardest boxing clubs in the north. I give huge respect to Camilla because, no matter how many times I punched her in the face, she kept coming back for more. She was no quitter.
Are you frightened of anything?
I’ve done some extreme things like kayaking the Amazon and tightrope walking between chimneys at Battersea Power Station. If something terrifies me, it makes me want to do it even more.
What’s still on your bucket list of things to do?
Now that we’ve got kids, I want to go on lots of adventures with them in the family camper van. I would also really love to travel to places like Vietnam, Bali, Japan and Mongolia.
Countryfile is on BBC1 tomorrow, 5pm.
‘I have seen every single episode of Homes Under the Hammer. I’m obsessed with it’
Helen Skelton