Helen Skelton breaks down in tears over Strictly Come Dancing journey
The competition has had a profound impact on one contestant.
There has been an outpouring of support for Helen Skelton during this weekend's Strictly Come Dancing, after the show aired emotional moment featuring the former Blue Peter star in training.
Skelton came second place last week with a near-perfect 39 points after dancing a stellar quickstep to Valerie by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse in the historic Blackpool Tower ballroom.
She hoped to replicate that success this week as she prepped an all-new routine with professional partner Gorka Márquez, but took a moment in training to reflect on her journey to date.
"Last Saturday night was my favourite night on Strictly so far," she began, referencing her trip to Blackpool. "The outfit, the dance, the dancers, everything just came together. The reaction was one of those moments I will never forget.
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"The best reaction was from my dad: he was so happy and so proud and he just looked at me like 'Oh, you seem like you again'," revealed Skelton.
"I definitely am a different person from when we started and I think, for me, what has been--," before breaking down into tears and taking a moment to compose herself.
"I think even you would say I'm a different person from day one, right?" she asked partner Márquez. "I thought it was just dancing – it is so much more than that."
The couple went on to dance a Samba to Eso Beso by Emma Bunton on this week's show, although saw a dip in their scores from the judges, with just 29 overall – including a stinging 5 from Craig Revel Horwood.
It places them second to last on this week's Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard, above only comedian Ellie Taylor and her partner Johannes Radebe, who scored 25 points.
Strictly fans applauded Skelton's openness and were thrilled by how much she has enjoyed the experience so far.
One user said it was "lovely" that she had been able to "regain more confidence" by taking part in the competition, referencing Skelton's comments about the show being about "so much more" than just dancing.
Tune in tomorrow night to find out who makes it through to Musicals Week.
Strictly Come Dancing: The Results airs tomorrow night at 6pm on BBC One. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide for more to watch.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
