Helen Skelton

Helen Skelton

Helen is best known as a presenter of the BBC children’s show Blue Peter, but she is also a dedicated fundraiser for Sport relief and has completed a number of extreme challenges to raise money for the cause. Helen  graduated from Cumbria Institute of the Arts, where she gained a BA degree in journalism. During her time at college, she worked as an extra on Coronation Street and Cutting It. She is also a qualified tap dance teacher. After briefly working in public relations, she decided to concentrate on journalism. She worked in the newsroom at CFM Radio, and was involved with various programmes at Border Television, before becoming a breakfast presenter on BBC Radio Cumbria in 2005. Helen Skelton was revealed as a new Blue Peter presenter on 28 August 2008, replacing Zöe Salmon, becoming the 33rd presenter for the programme. In a challenge for the show, she took an uncredited role in the BBC production of Merlin.

Charity Work

In April 2009, Skelton became only the second woman ever to finish the 78-mile (126 km) Namibian Ultra Marathon. She has also walked a 150 metre tightrope between chimneys at Battersea Power Station, 66 metres above ground, to raise money for Comic Relief on 28 February 2011. In 2010, she kayaked over 2,000 miles along the Amazon River. In 2012, Skelton raised more money for Sport Relief by becoming the first person to reach the South Pole using a bicycle. The bike was custom built for her trip, with 8-inch tyres. She also used skis and a kite to help her pull a sled containing 82 kg of supplies. She covered 329 miles by kite ski, 103 by bike, and 68 by cross-country ski. She is also the first person to claim a world record for the fastest 100km by kite ski, in seven hours 28 minutes, which was set during the trip. In completing a number of extreme challenges for charitable causes, Helen has developed a reputation as an excellent motivational speaker, she is also a top class presenter.