
SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters on ITV: Helen George's co-parenting with Call The Midwife ex
Natasha Rigler | 9:47am Mon 14 Jul | Updated 6:29pm Mon 14 JulHelen George was forced to face a “deep-rooted” fear of water to film ITV’s new show Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters – but who is she, and what is she famous for?
Call The Midwife actress Helen is among seven very brave stars who signed up to the series in a bid to learn to swim with sharks. Rather them than us!
Each week, the celebs will face bigger and more dangerous species. And for Helen, who previously couldn’t even put her head in the water, it was no easy feat.
Here, we take a deep dive into Helen’s life – including children, ex husband, and career – and look at how she managed to overcome her phobia.
![Helen George has faced her fears on Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters [Credit: ITV]](https://cdn.tvguide.co.uk/uploads/2025/07/shark_celebrity_infested_waters_sr1_ep1_14-1.jpg)
Helen George has faced her fears on Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters [Credit: ITV]
What has Helen George been in?
Helen is best known for playing Trixie, aka Lady Aylward, in the BBC drama Call The Midwife. She has portrayed the character on and off since its launch in 2016, although Trixie was then known as Trixie Franklin.
Helen’s first role on television was in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. She played high school teacher Miss Jones for one month in 2006. Helen went on to bag small roles in BBC’s Hotel Babylon and Doctors before being cast as Trixie in Call The Midwife.
Since becoming a household name, Helen has raised money for charity in TV quiz shows Celebrity Catchphrase and Pointless Celebrities. She had a role in the 2018 film Nativity Rocks!, before taking part in Richard Osman’s House of Games. She also slipped into sequins for a turn on Strictly Come Dancing.
When was Helen George on Strictly Come Dancing?
Helen competed in the 13th series of Strictly in 2015. She was partnered with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec and they finished the BBC show in sixth place. Helen had previously trained in musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music, which gave her a slight edge.
Helen later admitted she was “taking the show too seriously”. She told fans on X at the time: “I just cried over an incident with a feather boa #takingstrictlytooseriously.”
The pair eventually lost out to soap star Georgia May Foote and her partner Giovanni Pernice in the quarter finals. After learning her fate, Helen told Strictly host Tess Daly: “I’ve just had the most amazing time, spending this time with Aljaž. He has been the most fantastic teacher but most of all friend. I am taking away a brilliant group of mates, who I want to see lots in the future and I love this!”

Helen took to the Strictly dance floor in 2015 [Credit: FameFlynet.uk.com]
How old is Helen George?
Helen was born on June 19, 1984 in Birmingham. This makes her 41 years old. Helen’s dad Neil Thomas is a political scientist. Her mother, Margareth, worked as a social worker.
Together with her sister Elizabeth, Helen grew up in Birmingham and attended Edgbaston High School, which is a private day school for girls. Helen was a junior associate at Birmingham Royal Ballet, but dreamed of being Aston Villa Football Club’s first female manager!
Who is Helen George’s husband?
Helen was married to actor Oliver Boot from 2011 to 2015. He is perhaps most famous for playing Ben Woodman in Holby City. Helen and Oliver met in 2008 while filming the TV series Hotel Babylon. They later married in 2011, but sadly split four years later.
At the time, it was thought she had fallen foul of the so-called ‘Strictly curse’. But Helen’s spokesperson insisted the couple had split months before her stint on the show.
Between 2016 and 2023, Helen dated her Call The Midwife co-star Jack Ashton. Jack starred as Reverand Thomas Hereward on the show between 2014 and 2018.
The pair welcomed their first baby, a daughter called Wren, in 2017. Their second daughter, Lark, followed in 2021. Sadly, Helen and Jack announced their split in 2023.
Why did Helen George and partner Jack Ashton split?
Helen and Jack had been in a relationship for seven years when they confirmed their break-up. At the time, Helen wrote online: “Some months ago, we separated. Our two beautiful girls remain the focus and I respectfully ask for privacy for this next chapter.”
Helen reportedly grew close to her Call The Midwife co-star Olly Rix following her relationship split. Olly played Matthew Aylward, the on-screen husband of Helen’s character Trixie.

Helen shares two daughters with her ex Jack Ashton [Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images]
Are Helen George and Olly Rix still together?
Neither Helen or Olly ever confirmed if they were in a relationship. Olly had split from his girlfriend Natasha Fagri, a make-up artist, around the time Helen broke up with Jack. The pair briefly followed each other on social media and it is believed they were simply supporting each other through their respected break ups as friends.
Of course, Casualty fans will now that Olly is now playing Flynn Byron in the BBC medical drama.
Who is Helen George dating now?
It was reported last September that Helen had joined the celebrity dating app Raya. Six months later, she confirmed she had fallen for businessman Dan Innes.
Smitten Helen announced the news of her new romance by sharing a series of photos of herself and Dan on social media. The pair had been on a weekend away and Helen even posted a shot of ‘his and hers’ bath robes.
Helen said: “A glorious weekend was had by all at @thetawnyhotel. Relaxing, delicious and hearty.”
View this post on Instagram
Will Helen George return to Call The Midwife?
Call The Midwife fans had been anxious to learn whether Helen and the rest of the show’s cast would be returning after series 14. Uncertainty was sparked when the drama’s creator Heidi Thomas said Call The Midwife might “take a break”.
Helen, however, quashed any fears with an Instagram post in May this year. Sharing a photo of herself alongside a group of co-stars, she confirmed they were already filming season 15. Helen captioned her picture: “Series 15. 15 years of joy, love and laughter. How lucky I’ve been.”
The new series of Call The Midwife will be eight episodes long and air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in January 2026, after the ever-popular Christmas special.

Helen has confirmed her return to Call The Midwife [Credit: BBC]
When is Helen in SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters?
SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters premieres on Monday July 14, 2025. It will air on both ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm. The entire five-part series will then be uploaded to ITVX to stream.
Helen stars in the show alongside six fellow celebrities; Countdown’s Rachel Riley, Sir Lenny Henry, Motherland’s Lucy Punch, McFly’s Dougie Poynter, TV presenter and Paralympian Ade Adepitan and comedian Ross Noble.
They will be guided the entire time by three shark experts during the series; Danni Washington, Tristan Guttridge and shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder.
How bad was Helen’s fear of water before the show?
In the first episode of SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters, Helen could be seen clinging onto the end of a shallow swimming pool. Wearing a scuba-diving mask, she struggled to even put her face in the water.
Helen admitted: “It’s the fact that I don’t like going under water. I’ve got a real deep rooted fear of putting my head under water, and hadn’t realised quite how bad it was until it was day one and we were doing scuba training in a swimming pool.
“Even getting my head under the water in the mask was terrifying. I couldn’t do it and I had to hold onto the side of the
swimming pool. It took me about two hours to even get my face under the water. I hadn’t realised how bad my fear was.”

Helen describes going under water as ‘terrifying’ [Credit: ITV]
How did Helen beat her phobia?
Helen said she was desperate to beat her phobia for the sake of her two daughter. They both love going in the sea but Helen was only prepared to go in up to her ankles. But she took things at her own pace and had several panic attacks along the way.
“It was really an emotional experience,” Helen said. “But everybody was amazing. I think everyone, including myself, realised that I had to take it at my own pace. It was baby steps. Just to get my face in the water was going to be my biggest challenge first off. I overcame that and then found out our first challenge was going to be a cage dive with Bull sharks. I cried some more… but I did it!”
She added: “Learning to get over my fear of water was huge for me.”
Producers have hailed Helen the “hero story” of the show. Karen Plumb, Head Of Factual at Plimsoll Productions, said: “Helen George had an incredible fear story. She’s been our hero story in the show. She has found the journey incredibly hard but again and again she has got up and taken the challenges.”