Beauty secrets? Don’t be daft – I always look like I’ve slept in a bush!
CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN HANNAH BRITT talks to the TV presenter about life on Strictly, cosy nights in and why there’s no such thing as too much eyeliner
AS CO-HOST of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Claudia Winkleman works on one of the most glamorous programmes on television. In fact, it’s easy to imagine that the popular presenter spends her days in a sparkling cloud of sequins and is an expert on everything from feather boas to fake tan.
However Claudia, 46, is quick to point out that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I don’t have any beauty tips or tricks because I always look like I’ve slept in a bush,” laughs the mum of three as we settle down for a chat in an east London photography studio.
She is wrapped up warm in a navy blue coat with her trademark black eyeliner peeking out from under her thick fringe.
“My look is very much orange face, black eyes, white mouth. It’s like painting by numbers. If you have a very heavy fringe, you don’t have to make that much effort. You’re already slightly dressed,” she adds.
Claudia hands me her famous eyeliner. It’s as thick as a crayon.
“When you think you’ve put on enough eyeliner, you haven’t – put more on. A really great night out is if you’ve had to sharpen it at least once,” she says.
This year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing has been another huge success for the BBC. Last week viewing figures peaked at 12 million, with viewers tuning in to watch professional dancer Katya Jones and comedian Seann Walsh perform for the first time after they had been snapped kissing outside a London pub.
WHILE Claudia won’t be drawn on the so-called “curse of Strictly”, she clearly adores the show. If she wasn’t presenting, would she ever have considered being a contestant?
“No,” she says emphatically. “I love dancing but I’m terrible. I’d be too scared to do it – I like standing there with Tess.”
They are firm friends on and off screen, with Claudia having joined Strictly stalwart Tess Daly, 49, to host the show full-time in 2014.
“I love her more than life itself. I literally love her. All we do is chat. She’s an amazing woman. Unreal,” gushes Claudia.
Self-confessed girls’ girl, Claudia says it’s the women in her life that inspire her the most.
“I think most girls are girls’ girls. I certainly am. Female friendships are everything,” she says.
“I love my girlfriends and we talk all the time. I’m very, very lucky. We all look after each other.
“My mum inspires me, too, because she’s hardworking and funny as hell but mainly just kind.”
And Claudia says she’s proud to be one of a growing number of women now fronting prime-time shows on television. “I host Strictly with Tess. That’s lovely. Then you have lots of girls – Holly, Fearne, Davina, Mel and Sue. But we could always do with more.”
Yet despite her showbiz pals, you’re more likely to find Claudia eating takeaway noodles on her sofa than out at a glitzy party.
“I don’t get Fomo (fear of missing out), I get Jomo (joy of missing out). I’m definitely more confident in my 40s. Getting older is brilliant. You are more confident and you can stay in. You’re no longer thinking should I do this, should I do that? You’ve worked out what you want to do.”
Indeed Claudia, who is married to film and TV producer Kris Thykier, 46, says her idea of heaven is a night in at the central London home the couple share with their children Jake, 15, Matilda, 12, and seven-year-old Arthur.
“A night in? That’s every night of my life. I like to watch Killing Eve with an awful lot of noodles brought by Uber Eats. When I treat myself, it’s nothing dramatic – not bungee jumping or four-hour massages. I treat myself by being at home with my family. That’s a really boring answer,” she laughs. “We like eating, laughing, playing cards. I’m obsessed with playing bridge.”
But although her social life may have slowed down, Claudia has never been busier at work.
She is the new face of Head & Shoulders Supreme Colour Protect and coming up in the new year is a second series of BBC’s Britain’s Best Home Cook, which she presents alongside head judge Mary Berry, 83.
Despite being a keen cook, Claudia admits her own kitchen creations can sometimes leave a lot to be desired.
“I do cook. I’m not good but I’m enthusiastic. I love cooking but the problem is I’m so lazy, there are really only five things that I make – roast chicken and fillet of beef with potato dauphinoise, which I learnt how to make, are two of my specialities.
“Saying that, I think my chilli con carne might make you cry with happiness. And I’ve also learnt how to make pavlova. But I have kitchen disasters all the time. I once roasted a whole cauliflower and I forgot to put any seasoning on it. I didn’t understand why the kids weren’t excited. They were like, ‘mum, go back to peas and chips, please’.”
London-born Claudia, who studied theology and art history at Cambridge University, worked in an art gallery before embarking on what she happily admits has been a somewhat accidental TV career.
She started presenting in the 1990s and has been twice nominated for a TV Bafta for her work on Strictly.
“I don’t know what happened, I went off piste,” she says. “There’s nothing left on my bucket list. I’ve peaked by miles. I’ve already far succeeded what I was supposed to do. I always feel like I’m so lucky.”
As our interview ends she picks up her eyeliner and expertly draws it on without using a mirror.
“Enough black eye make-up to sink a ship,” she laughs.
“I never take my make-up off. Do I wash my face before I go to bed? Don’t be ridiculous, I have better dreams when I’m fully made up.”