Helen Skelton's dishevelled daughter Elsie, 2, is unrecognisable in family video

Nichola Murphy
·2 min read
A close-up photo of Helen Skelton
A close-up photo of Helen Skelton

Helen Skelton's three beautiful children are normally just as put-together as the Countryfile star, but her daughter Elsie made an exception this week with her unusually dishevelled appearance.

The two-year-old sat on the edge of the dining room table as her eldest brother Ernie, eight, gave her a makeover to mark World Book Day under the watchful eye of brother Louis, seven.

While Helen didn't reveal Elsie's chosen book character, she was clearly dressed as a tiger with a cosy orange onesie covered with black stripes and matching face paint.

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Ernie was adding the finishing touches to her nose, which she promptly rubbed off in the video. The focal point of her look was her hair, which is normally styled in natural blonde curls to her shoulders. Gone were her glossy locks, replaced with a deep side parting and wavey ends backcombed into a wild 'do.

young girl wearing pink skirt and denim jacket
Elsie normally has cute blonde curls (Instagram)

"With that hair there's only one thing she could be," Helen said.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star shares her three children with her ex-husband Richie Myler, with whom she split in 2022, five months after the birth of Elsie.

helen skelton posing next to lake with kids
Helen is a doting mother to three kids (Instagram)

At the time, Helen wrote: "We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children."

Helen has opened up about her children's close bond, even revealing her sons had a hand in naming their sister.

Richie Myler and Helen Skelton attend the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2017 Awards at the Echo Arena on December 17, 2017 in Liverpool, England
Helen and her ex-husband Richie Myler split in 2022 (Karwai Tang, Getty)

In an interview with HELLO! following Elsie's birth,  she said: "The boys loved the name Elsie as it has an E and an L at the beginning.

"We were always going to have Kate as a middle name after my cousin, who sadly passed away when we were in our 20s. I was really close to her; she was a scientist and crazy cool."

The Blue Peter presenter left her role on BBC Radio in August 2023 to prioritise raising her children. On air, she said she was "emotional" over the decision, adding: "I am not all right about it, but, you know, needs must. The juggle is real."