[3] Skjellerup began speed skating at the age of 10 in Christchurch after an injury from roller blading forced him to stop playing rugby union for a season.
Blake quickly took to the sport and began spending as much time as he could in skates.
Skjellerup came out as gay in an interview with Australian magazine DNA in May 2010, saying he had decided to wait until after the Vancouver Games to do so in order to focus on his performance and to avoid turning off potential sponsors.
[9] Skjellerup also became an advocate for Pink Shirt Day, a nationwide campaign to fight bullying in New Zealand.
[11] In July 2015, Skjellerup married his boyfriend, lifestyle blogger Saul Carrasco, in Hawaii.