Strictly breaking down… the stars in tears behind the glitter…
Claudia is the Strictly co-host you can rely on for laughs, but not at this time of year…
She might be all smiles for the camera as co-host of Strictly Come Dancing – but, behind the scenes, Claudia Winkleman is not feeling as upbeat. Very soon, kids will be donning scary masks and playing trick or treat. But it’s one of the toughest times of the year for the 45-year-old presenter, who admits that she ‘ hates’ Halloween ever since her daughter, Matilda, now 11, was left with severe burns after her fancy dress costume caught fire in a freak accident in 2014. The terrifying ordeal took place while the family were trick or treating with friends in west London.
After taking time off to care for her daughter, Claudia later went on to BBC’s Watchdog to discuss the accident which she described as ‘ life-changing’.
She admits she’s been haunted by the traumatic incident ever since. ‘I don’t like Halloween because three years ago it turned out our screams were real,’ she says. ‘Thanks to the NHS, everything is now OK.’
Recalling the terrifying moment she realised her daughter was on fire is as vivid today as it was then. She recalls, ‘I was talking to somebody and then I heard her shout and she was on fire. It felt like she was on fire for hours but the surgeon said it was probably just seconds.
‘She “went up” is the only way I can describe it – it was a spark, and she screamed out for me. It was like those horrific birthday candles that you blow out and they come back. It was really fast. It was definitely life-changing for me.’
Claudia has since campaigned for parents to buy costumes that meet the British nightwear flammability standard. Previously writing an article to highlight the dangers of fancy dress costumes, she said, ‘I know it’s annoying to check, and it hardly trips off the tongue, but always just ask. They’ll tell you immediately if it has passed.
‘I don’t want any of you to go through what we did. So get yourself a witchy costume, but please get a safe one.’
To this day, Claudia still beats herself up about it and wishes she’d been more vigilant.
She said, ‘I can’t remember life before it. I wish I’d been the one dressed as a witch. She went up, and I don’t want that to happen to another child.’