Cynical truth about Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton’s relationship: TV insiders tell DOLLY BUSBY why BBC bosses say it’s ‘not fair’ – and reveal the ‘capitalisation’ rumour that people can’t stop whispering about

They looked every inch the happy couple as they hit the red carpet at the Pride of Britain Awards last night.

Welsh television presenter Gethin Jones, 47, put his arm around Helen Skelton, 42, who dazzled in a £663 black low-cut velvet dress from London brand Self Portrait.

It was a move the BBC Morning Live co-hosts no doubt knew would set tongues wagging and fuel the occasional romance rumors that have been circulating for the past eight months.

Observers would find more evidence later that evening. Moments after Helen left the five-star Grosvenor House Hotel in London, where the ceremony was held, Gethin followed her.

The pair have always refused to confirm their relationship status, to the disappointment of 1.5 million Morning Live viewers, and television insiders say this was a deliberate move.

But BBC bosses think quite differently, I’m told, and actually wish the pair would stop making fun of their devoted fans and be honest about the true nature of their relationship.

‘There is a common feeling between them’ [BBC bosses] ‘It’s time for Helen and Gethin to confirm where they stand and stop playing with the audience,’ says one. ‘Now is the time for clarity.

‘Standing together on the red carpet only confused viewers who really wanted them to be an item, and it’s no longer fair to continue the speculation.

‘They start doing it on purpose because they’re really drawn to it.’

There’s definitely an element of deja vu to the rumors last night. The rumors first surfaced at the British Film and Television Awards in May, where the pair appeared to be “very close” and “touchy-feely” before leaving the event together.

Then, as now, their reps declined to comment on whether they were in the early stages of dating.

Shortly after their joint red carpet appearance in the spring, they were seen leaving Morning Live’s BBC headquarters in Salford together on a motorbike.

The co-stars headed out to an intimate breakfast in Manchester city center and appeared to be spending more and more time together outside the studio.

Guests at the charity ball organized by the sisters of England’s last rugby league star Rob Burrow, who died of motor neurone disease last year, said, ‘It is obvious that Helen and Gethin were together as a couple at the event.’

They were seen leaving Carden Park spa near Gethin’s Cheshire home in June; It’s 180 kilometers from Helen’s home in Cumbria.

Onlookers reported that they were ‘all over the place’ and that he was also seen leaving the venue with a suitcase.

The revelations come 18 months after the pair were signed as permanent presenters by the BBC to host the popular Morning Live programme.

Helen takes a taxi to the elevator and leaves the awards ceremony alone

Just minutes after Helen left Grosvenor House Hotel, where the ceremony was held, Gethin followed her.

This is undoubtedly a strategic partnership for the BBC. Producers had been looking for the ‘new Richard and Judy’ for a long time; This was a couple who would emulate the huge success of ITV married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, who launched This Morning in 1998.

It was felt that a similar on-screen chemistry was exactly what the Beeb needed to win the daytime ratings war.

With slim pickings for a cute duo, they found Countryfile presenter Helen and Gethin, a safe couple who have supported the show intermittently since it first aired in 2020.

Bosses agreed they had enough in common to make it a success: they had both presented Blue Peter and appeared on the BBC’s flagship Saturday night show Strictly, so they were already known to a large portion of the key audience.

Also, they were both single.

When the Mail on Sunday first revealed rumors that the pair were dating, fans were delighted and bosses at the Company wondered if they had finally found the couple of their dreams.

But what follows is an endless “Is it, isn’t it?” It became epic.

Less than a month after they were spotted together at a Cheshire spa hotel, Gethin was spotted on celebrity dating app Raya.

The rugby fan was on a trip to Australia with a group of friends to watch the British and Irish Lions when it emerged he had used the app and changed his location to alert potential suitors Down Under.

BBC bosses apparently wish the Morning Live co-hosts would stop poking fun at their loyal fans and get honest about the true nature of their relationship

It appears Gethin’s budding relationship with his Morning Live co-host has ‘soiled significantly’ and sources say he is ‘on the prowl’ and ‘keen to meet other women’.

Or was it? The romance appeared to have resumed last month when they enjoyed a casual lunch in Manchester after Gethin returned to work following the death of his father in August.

Helen, looking comfortable in her brown Adidas tracksuit bottoms and white sleeveless top, was smiling as she took shelter under an umbrella, while Gethin walked a few steps behind, braving the rain.

And now with their red carpet appearance at Pride of Britain, fans are once again wondering whether their favorite ‘television husband and wife’ are actually an item.

And once again, despite urging from their BBC bosses, the pair’s representatives are refusing to clarify.

One clue as to why the couple is keeping the status of their relationship private is that they’ve both had their hearts shattered in the past.

Earlier this year the couple were seen leaving Morning Live’s BBC headquarters in Salford together on a motorbike.

Cumbria-born Helen was devastated when her husband of eight years, rugby player Richie Myler, left her in April 2022, just four months after giving birth to their third child, Elsie.

Richie quickly moved on with Stephanie Thirkill, the daughter of the chairman of Leeds Rhinos, the club he played for from 2017 to 2023. Former Radio 5 presenter Helen announced on Instagram that Richie had ‘left the family home’.

Meanwhile, Cardiff-born Gethin struggled for several years to get over his split from fellow Welsh star opera singer Katherine Jenkins in 2011.

Katherine was thought to have ended the relationship, but recently insisted it was Gethin who pulled the plug.

However, she moved on faster and married American producer Andrew Levitas in 2014.

Ten years after marrying his ex-fiancée, Gethin admitted that the separation had damaged his mental health.

She said: ‘I was engaged and then it was really bad to break up, even at that time. I remember doing BBC Radio 5 Live and going to the toilet at 5.30am and saying: “Okay. Come on. Just focus on the next three hours and then you can go back to being upset.” ‘I definitely went through a bad bout of depression at the time.’

A friend added: ‘Gethin is a gentle, wet man who just wants to chill. He had a very difficult time with Katherine, which broke her heart, but now Helen seems to have a smile on her face.

‘And of course Helen went through one of the worst things imaginable when Richie left her. “He never thought he’d ever be happy again.”

But now, judging by the smile on his face, he’s rediscovered that happiness and TV folks think he should take advantage of it ASAP. People on multiple channels have told me that Helen and Gethin like that This romantically linked couple could quickly become the most sought-after TV couple since the famous Madeley Finnegan double act. In this case, even more red carpets are beckoning.