Inside Helen Chamberlain’s life away from TV since Soccer AM including unusual hobby and very surprising career change
FOR 22 years Helen Chamberlain was a star player on Soccer AM, having been one of the iconic Sky show’s OG presenters.
It kickstarted a sensational career, with Helen, now 55, fast becoming a lads’ mag favourite.
When she eventually called time on her Soccer AM stint in 2017, the Somerset-born presenter decided to take a step away from the limelight.
Now, after it was announced yesterday that Sky has axed the popular morning football show, we take a look at what Helen’s been up to since – including her surprising new career.
Early fame
Helena was destined to be an entertainer – she thrilled crowds at Pontins holiday club working as a Bluecoat before getting her big break.
It was while appearing as an announcer at Chessington World of Adventures that she was discovered by a producer at Nickelodeon – and launched her presenting career in 1994.
The following year her big break came when she was asked to present on Soccer AM.
She hosted alongside Tim Lovejoy and instantly became a fan favourite.
In May 2004 she told a magazine she landed the gig completely by chance, admitting: “My whole career has been an accident.”
The 90-minute comedy talk show provided a rundown of the week’s football events and featured skits and challenges for guests and viewers.
Around that period, Helen was given the opportunity to guest host Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast with Johnny Vaughan, and its successor, RI:SE.
In-demand Helen also landed a gig as a presenter on Sky’s dedicated poker channel, and fronted Channel 5’s late-night sports show, Live and Dangerous.
Her popularity led to an appearance in Penthouse magazine, where she shot a cheeky nude photoshoot with her hands barely covering her modesty.
In the accompanying interview she spoke about her wild days before joining Soccer AM, admitting: “I did drink a bit in those days and you just stayed up all night every night getting p****d with the cabaret turns.”
Helen certainly wasn’t shy – in 2004 she stripped off at Trafalgar Square to reveal her patriotic underwear to cheer on England in the Euros.
She was also famed for her cheeky red carpet antics – once lowering her skirt to show off a T.U.F.C tattoo on her hip – a tribute to her beloved Torquay United football team.
Sports star
From a young age, Helen was a keen darts player and when she got older, competed at pub league level.
She claims to have beaten professional darts player Eric Bristow during a game of darts cricket.
In 2012 Helen was the Woking & District ladies’ darts singles champion – and she reportedly dated one of the sport’s biggest stars, James Wade.
They were seen as a power couple in the darts world – once dubbed the ‘Posh and Becks‘ of the sport.
Talking about their alleged romance, James coyly said at the time: “Some of the things I’ve read are not quite true, but we all have good friends, whether they are male or female.
“Helen loves darts – perhaps that’s why we get on so well – but people are putting two and two together and making seven. If they made five, they may be closer to the truth, or they may be a million miles away… who knows?”
Helen is also a huge fan of poker and competed in the Poker Million tournament in 2005, where she finished second and won a staggering £325,500.
She spent some of her winnings on a new Range Rover for her boyfriend at the time, and also bought the racehorse Birkspiel.
The horse, trained by Simon Dow, won £44,000 in its first race in Baden-Baden, Germany, continuing her string of good luck.
In all, Helen owned three race horses – including a flat racer called Napoletano and sprinter named Merlin’s Dancer – all of which have now retired.
Retreat from spotlight
When Helen made the decision to quit Soccer Am, her legion of fans were devastated.
The show broke the news in a tweet that read: “Farewell and thank you to Mrs Soccer AM. This place won’t be the same without you.”
Explaining why she left the popular show, she said: “I spent nearly half my life sitting on that sofa. I was there for nearly 23 years.
“That’s a long time to have any job, never mind a job in broadcasting.
“I had the farm to see to. I wanted to rescue more dogs and breed sheep and chickens. So I didn’t have time for Saturday mornings anymore.”
Helen has enjoyed a relatively quiet life since, though she still dabbles in presenting – including a gig hosting the inaugural World Seniors Darts Championship.
The star now has a new passion – farming – and regularly shares snaps of her farm life on Instagram, posting pictures of her dogs, donkeys, and sheep.
Her former co-host Tim Lovejoy has even joked she lives her own version of The Good Life.
Helen said she’s never classed herself as famous, and enjoys the fact she now gets left alone, adding: “I can go around Tesco with toilet paper in my trolley and not feel embarrassed.”
She’s also a keen metal detectorist; last year she posted a selfie of herself holding up a coin she had found, captioned: “Chuffed with this lovely hammered coin I found yesterday at the @Ipmetaldetecting dig in Dorset using the new Nokta Legend.”
But Helen, who has never been married and doesn’t have any children, could be making a big return to showbiz – as a contestant on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.
Ladbrokes have tipped her at 4/1 to be part of this year’s line-up of celebrities.
We’d certainly love to see her dust off her footwork skills and go for the Glitterball!