Dan Walker insists his good friend Helen Skelton shouldn’t come under fire for leaving her Radio 5 Live show to spend more time with her kids

Dan Walker says he hopes his good friend Helen Skelton doesn’t get flak after she decided to quit her BBC Radio 5 Live show to spend more time with her kids.

Television and radio star Helen, 40, gave an emotional farewell to listeners on Sunday when she explained that she wanted to spend more time with her children.

And TV presenter Dan, 46, insists Helen shouldn’t be criticized for her decision, insisting she is an “incredibly devoted mother” to Ernie, eight, Louis, five, and 16-month-old daughter Elsie, whom she shares with her ex-husband Richie Myler.

During an appearance on the Jeremy Vine Show on Tuesday, he told Matt Allwright: “She’s an incredibly dedicated mother to her three kids and she’d say if she was here this morning – she’s not, she’s with her kids this morning – she would say parents compromise all the time.

“Two (of her children) play football on Sunday mornings and she has made the decision that in practice she would much rather watch them and encourage them to do so than be on the radio at the time.

“Anyone who ever spends time with Helen or watches her shows only talks about her kids.”

Dan said he and Helen had been friends for over 10 years and had holidayed in the Pennines with their families, with the pair recently filming in the area for their new Channel 5 travel show Dan & Helen’s Pennine Adventure.

He added, “I hope she doesn’t get flak for it because she’s just amazing, she’s lovely to spend time with, lovely to work with.”

Helen announced her split from England and Leeds Rhinos rugby league player Richie, 33, in April last year.

Helen took over from Laura Whitmore on her BBC Radio show last August but announced live on Sunday that she would be leaving.

It was reported this month that Helen has reportedly come under fire from BBC bosses after plugging brands during her time on TV show Morning Live.

The television presenter has gone against the broadcaster’s strict guidelines by tagging brands of clothing, jewelry and cake makers in her Instagram posts.

Guidelines state that ‘no talent should advertise on-air any products, goods, services or clothing they use’.

The BBC, which is funded by the license fee, does not allow advertisements or product placements on its television or radio outputs or on its websites.

Helen has since removed the tags and has not received payment for mentioning the brands on her social media channel.

A BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Helen pays for the clothes she wears on the show and has no relation to the brands tagged.

“She has now removed brand mentions from social posts associated with the program.”

Meanwhile, Helen recently launched herself back into the dating scene.

A source told Closer Magazine: ‘Helen’s family and friends encouraged her to get back out there and she was happy to get her toe back into the dating scene, but she’s had some wobbles and found herself feeling guilty. She worries about who to let into her life and worries about being judged for decisions she makes.

“There are also some people who have made comments about her not trying hard enough to make it work with Richie, and it has made her think about her marriage and what went wrong.

“In the end, she knows she tried everything she could, and once the trust was broken, there was just no turning back. But dating again has brought up some unexpected feelings that she struggles with.”

It comes after the source told OK! magazine: “After her trust was betrayed, she’s nowhere near ready for an all-in long-term romance.

But she doesn’t shut herself off from anything anymore. She is open to new adventures in every way and strives to say ‘yes’ to more things that turn her on.”