Claudia Winkleman
Hilarious, heartfelt and wry as ever, Strictly’s Claudia Winkleman opens up on parenting teens, and the beauty of living life in the slow lane…
She’s quite unlike any other British TV star. Funny, quirky, normally dressed in black from head-to-toe, Claudia Winkleman – she of the no-holds-barred attitude and smokey eyes – is in a league of her own and we can’t wait to see her back on the box with our very own Craig Revel Horwood on Strictly, later this year.
Speaking at a virtual event organised by bookshop.org, to mark the paperback edition of her bestselling memoir, Quite, the 49-year-old explores a series of topics close to her heart, including life at home (Claudia is married to Danish film producer Kris Thykier, and the couple have three children, Jake, 18, Matilda, 15, and Arthur, 10). Here’s what she opened up on…
BEING ‘FAMOUS’…
I don’t feel famous at all, honestly – I’m on the Tube four times a day. The Central Line is one of the loves of my life! I’ve never once been recognised. Maybe Strictly is a home video that they’ve created so that I feel good about myself. I don’t believe it actually goes out on telly! I don’t do any of that redcarpet bonanza, unless it’s for a great friend, or for charity. I’ve already outstayed my welcome – I’ve had an amazing time and I’ve just been ridiculously lucky.
WHY PICTURES SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS...
I have been lucky enough to find a job where I could work part-time, on Strictly and a radio show. So, if that means that if I was to fall out of a skip, totally hammered holding a Stetson, shouting, ‘ EastEnders is my life!’, and somebody happened to pap it, then I deserve it. I’ve got no problem with that. I’m not really on social media, either. It’s not that I’m ‘anti’ it, I’m just… busy napping.
SEWING BEE…
The people who do those shows are extraordinary. It’s a bit like Strictly, in that it’s such a privilege to sit on the sidelines while people are trying to do something – whether it’s making a cake or a waistcoat
or trying to get the Argentine Tango just right. It’s incredibly addictive to watch!
HAVING TEENAGERS
My favorite thing, I think of everything, is that my kids text me at work. Tilda, 15, texted me the other morning while I was on the radio, going, ‘MUM! Did you finish the jam?!’ I texted back, ‘ Yeah, Tilda, I think I did – but I’m interviewing Lenny Henry, and I’m about to play the Bee Gees…’ Our daughter texted her dad the other day saying, ‘Can you pick me up from school today?’ He texted back saying, ‘I’ve been in America for eight days. I’m sorry you haven’t noticed!’
THE THEME OF QUITE…
That life isn’t a race. Enjoy it while it’s happening. My eldest child didn’t walk for two years, and there was a feeling of ‘come on, come on’. I remember Mum going, ‘Don’t you worry...’ Then the minute they start toddling is when you panic and can’t let them out of your sight! Nothing happens overnight. Not making a baby, love at first sight, a career, your perfect flat, so we should just be kinder to ourselves and remember that there’s no one to compete with. Sometimes I feel wobbly, but I don’t want to be perfect – the funniest, the best friend, the best guest. Things can be ‘quite good’ and that’s enough.
SELF-CONFIDENCE…
Do I seem confident? Well, I think my confidence came from my parents, and how they treated me, growing up. I once unloaded the dishwasher and my mum applauded! It’s them, thinking I’m great company.
LIVING LIFE IN A SLOWER LANE…
I’m a bit ramshackle, I have the pace of a snail. I had to post a letter last week, I discussed it at least 45 minutes a day – I’m still not sure it’s posted. I like slow cooking, stirring something at 10am and eating it at 8pm. Let’s all just quieten down. That’s what I want to say to my kids, too. Like I say at the end of my book. Enjoy the view. It’s about now, it’s about looking at my kids’ little faces, eating a sausage roll.
STYLE AND THAT FAMOUS FRINGE
I don’t know how well you know Alice Cooper, but if it’s not pointy and black, and tight, and covered in buckles, I am quite literally not interested. I would like to say my look is a slatternly Adam Ant. Though sometimes, in my head, I want to dress like Kris Jenner. She’d walk in right now, sequin blazer, camisole and a wide pantaloon. As for my fringe… I tell you what you don’t want, an ‘apologetic fringe’. It’s got more weight than a badger. It’s literally from the back of my head, like a waterfall, not wispy. No wisps.
HER FAVOURITE FOODS…
Everyone knows this – it’s cheese, and Minstrels. Anything with melted cheese; toastie, potato with melted cheese – which my young son doesn’t like – we’re chalk and cheese!
HER REAL AMBITION…
I think I would like to have been my children’s nanny... Yes. Life in the slow lane.