Entertainment
Helen Skelton feels ‘really stupid’ after losing £70,000 life savings in scam-Dominique Hines-Entertainment – Metro
The TV star’s lost cash was for her kid’s futures.
Helen Skelton is still upset that she got scammed out of 70k back in 2019 (Picture: ITV)
Helen Skelton has opened up on the 2019 online banking scam that saw her lose £70,000 of her life savings, admitting she feels ‘really stupid’ after being conned.
Three years ago, the Countryfile presenter saw her savings vanish after answering a few ‘security questions’ on the phone from what she believed was her bank.
The 38-year-old has opened up about the incident while expressing her fears for her children’s online safety as she partners up with Lloyd’s Bank.
Helen, who shares sons Ernie, seven, Louis, five, and daughter Elsie, seven months, with her estranged husband, Richie Myler, said about her eldest child: ‘The notion of him chatting to his mates online scares me a bit.
‘I don’t know that world and we’ve all heard plenty of things that could go wrong.’
It was then she spoke about having been duped in the bank fraud, via LeedsLive: ‘I mean, come on – even as adults it is so easy to fall victim to a fraudster.
The Countryfile star spoke out about her fears for her children’s online safety(Picture: Instagram/ helenskelton)
‘I’ve done it – it has happened to me. It makes you feel really stupid. But it has happened to so many people who aren’t stupid.’
She added: ‘I personally know the pain of being defrauded, so it is incredibly important to me that my children are equipped to spot a scam, even in the seemingly harmless environment of a video game.’
The TV and radio host had previously spoken about the incident, and, during appearance on ITV’s Lorraine, explained: ‘I got phoned up by the bank, told something dodgy had been going on with my account.
‘A week later, £70,000 had gone. All gone. And it was just a few questions over the phone.’
Helen shares children with ex Richie Myler, and shared her fears for them online (Picture: Instagram/ helenskelton)
‘You don’t question your bank…
‘We’re not talking about little old ladies who are victims who don’t understand the internet, that’s a massively naïve assumption…
‘I cried buckets when I realised.
‘That money was meant to be for my children’s future. I was thinking of my kids, and about how I would have to work even more and not see them to try to get it back.’
It comes after Helen recently confirmed she and Richie had split after eight years of marriage, sharing on Instagram: ‘Very sad to say that Richie and I are no longer a couple.
‘He has left the family home. We will be doing our best to co-parent our small children.’
Earlier this month she opened up about the struggles of being a single parent of three children, and the ‘mum guilt’ she faces over balancing her work commitments with her personal life.
‘Life is a bit crazy with three children and I’m not going to lie, getting the kids to school is just chaos. It’s hard to split yourself three ways,’ told Hello! Magazine.
‘I don’t want to commit to childcare as if I’m off I want to be with the kids, so my mum comes to stay when I’m working.’
During another appearance on Lorraine this month, Helen was asked about her personal issues but avoided addressing the marriage breakdown, instead focusing on her juggling the children.
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