Helen Skelton talks about friendship with Cannon Hall farmers the Nicholson brothers in her new book

She has recently returned to her home village to raise her three children with her parents’ help after her separation from Leeds Rhinos player Richie Myler.

In the book, Skelton describes farming as being ‘in my DNA’ and herself as a ‘feral child’ and writes of how as an adult she is excited by the recent mainstream popularity of rural life and its values.

She says she ‘shares a cultural language’ with the Nicholson family and enjoys filming Springtime on the Farm with them at Cannon Hall Farm near Barnsley.

The book also includes an account of her teenage years, when she and her friends, some of whom she remains close to today, would go clubbing at the famous Tall Trees nightclub in Yarm, which had its own swimming pool but which closed in 2010. Skelton confirmed she never took drugs whole growing up as she was affected by the story of Leah Betts, an 18-year-old who died of an ecstasy overdose in 1995.

The book also includes descriptions of her life back in Cumbria and her children’s routines, and her love of paddleboarding in the Lake District.

The presenter will give a talk about her new book at the Ilkley Literature Festival on Sunday October 22.