Cannon Hall Farm names latest arrival after Helen Skelton's daughter Elsie

The South Yorkshire farm welcomed two new Mediterranean miniature donkey’s earlier this month, and have named them Muffin and Elsie. The latter is named after the daughter of Helen Skelton, who presents This Week On The Farm from the attraction on Channel 5.

Farmer Robert Nicholson said: “The arrival of Elsie and Muffin really made our Christmas. They are real characters and bring joy to our visitors everyday. We now have eight miniature donkeys on the farm and look forward to many new arrivals in the future.”

Helen has been a great supporter of the farm after presenting This Week On The Farm from the Barnsley-based attraction since 2018. She has also presented a number of seasonal live shows from Cannon Hall Farm, including Live: Summer On The Farm and Winter On The Farm Live.

Speaking about her favourite animals at the farm, she previously said: “Jon Bon Pony is everybody’s favourite but I like Emma, the big Highland cow. I love it when we are doing a piece to camera and she’s behind us. I like the donkeys too. Last year I got bitten by one of the donkey foals who bit my finger.

"I love the crisp, cold days, I love being outside all day, getting the cold and wind on my face and then the rewards of sitting in front of the fire warming up. With the team on Winter on the Farm, we just have a laugh, it's a great atmosphere, just like hanging out with friends.”

The farm was previously just a short jaunt from her home in Leeds but since her break up with ex-husband and Leeds Rhino player Ritchie Myler, she has now moved out of Yorkshire and back to Cumbria with her parents.

She also appeared on the most recent series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she and her professional partner Gorka Marquez made it all the way to the final, eventually losing out to another wildlife presenter Hamza Yassin and his professional partner Jowita Pryzstal.