Police probe into cruel trolls targeting Helen Skelton's ex Richie and family

16 October 2023 , 18:27

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Police probe into cruel trolls targeting Helen Skelton's ex Richie and family

Helen Skelton's ex, Richie Myler, has revealed the police are investigating online trolls who have made slurs about his family.

The Leeds Rhino rugby player, 33, who split up with Helen, 40, last year before moving on with new partner, Stephanie Thirkill, says he's been subjected to "disgusting and derogatory" comments made on a gossip social media site.

In a lengthy statement on Instagram, Richie, who became a dad again in April when Stephanie gave birth to the couple's first child, said: "For over 12 months there has been several individuals who have felt the need to write derogatory and disgusting comments about me and my family on this awful website.

Richie Myler split up with Strictly star Helen Skelton last year before moving on with new partner, Stephanie Thirkill (Instagram)

Richie has revealed the police are investigating online trolls (Instagram)

"This is not just people having an opinion on somebody else's life choices, these 4,000 comments (all by the same six or seven accounts) are harmful and sickening. Three accounts have been successfully uncovered, and thanks to North Yorkshire Police, which is taking this very seriously, are now been fully investigated as an open case. If anyone on here has any information on this, please direct message me or contact North Yorkshire Police. Thanks."

When contacted by the Mirror, a spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police, said: "North Yorkshire Police received a report last week that a man had received threatening letters and been the subject of abusive comments online. Enquiries are at an early stage, and are ongoing."

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Tattle Life brands itself as a commentary website on public business social media accounts, "allowing commentary and critiques of people that choose to monetise their personal life as a business and release it into the public domain". It adds that it has a zero-tolerance policy to any content that is abusive, hateful or harmful, and a team of moderators working 24/7 to remove any content that breaks its strict rules, often in minutes.

Richie and Helen separated in April 2022, four months after their baby daughter Elsie was born. The couple were married for more than eight years and share three children, Ernie, eight, Louis, six, and Elsie, one.

The former Countryfile and Blue Peter host opens up about the split in her new autobiography, In My Stride. Revealing her heartache after separating from the rugby player, Helen says the separation sparked her decision to sign up for Strictly. Admitting she was "blindsided" when Richie called time on their eight-year marriage, she writes: "I was in shock. I know that following break-ups, people often say they didn’t see it coming and it sounds like a cliche, but that was me."

Speaking about how her time on Strictly Come Dancing – with pro partner Gorka Marquez – helped rebuild her confidence, she continued: "In week two, Gorka asked me why I didn’t feel sexy. It was an awkward question that immediately made me cringe. Why ask me that?! I was just there for the banter. I have never been sexy, I was the cute and funny type. He was asking a woman with three children under six, whose husband had just left her and was with another woman, TO BE SEXY. I thought, 'Who would feel good about themselves in that scenario?'"

Victoria Johns