‘SUCCESS IS BEING GRATEFUL FOR THE SIMPLE THINGS’
As her first book hits the shelves, Claudia Winkleman talks to Nathalie Whittle about her Strictly nerves, celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary and why her 40s are her happiest decade yet
One thing you learn when you interview celebrities is how to be patient. There’s the star who forgot they had an interview – and the one who could have sworn it was next week. But then there’s Claudia Winkleman. Her phone call is timed to perfection and, before I have a chance to speak, she says with concern in her voice, ‘Am I too early? Am I annoying?’ She is, without doubt, the most punctual and polite of celebrities.
Right now, Claudia explains, she’d usually be on a walk with her 14-year-old daughter Matilda, but instead she’ll be ‘boring’ me ‘to tears’. Her dry wit and self-deprecating attitude is impossibly endearing and has, almost certainly, played a part in her becoming one of the BBC’S highest-paid stars. It’s her trademark, just like her liberal use of eyeliner, fake tan and that fringe. But what I discover during our chat is that beneath the humour is a woman who’s thoughtful, warm and deeply passionate.
The daughter of newspaper editor Eve Pollard and publisher Barry Winkleman, Claudia grew up in London and had no intention of following in her parents’ footsteps. She studied theology and history of art at Cambridge University, determined to pursue an artistic career, until a short stint working in an art gallery proved ‘far too slow’ for her. ‘I was brought up by journalists, people who loved words and noise and chatting and debating, and suddenly I was in a tiny gallery,’ she says. ‘Very quickly I thought, “This isn’t going to work.”’ Was there a lightbulb moment when she realised TV was her calling? ‘Not at all,’ she says. ‘But my mum was a staunch feminist and would say, “I don’t really mind what you do, but go out there and do something.” She made my brother and I totally believe in ourselves, that we could do anything.’
Her rise through the ranks, she points out, was hardly stratospheric. ‘I once dressed up as a kiwi on This Morning for Fruit Awareness Week,’ she says. ‘And I did a BBC Three documentary called Toilets. But I don’t consider those low points. I learned stuff and I met lovely people.’
One of the people Claudia met early in her career was Jay, now one of her best friends. She owes a lot to the women in her life, she says, particularly Jay. ‘I worked with her really early on and we’d be having a laugh, then I’d have to present something and I’d change. I became a “presenter” and put on a posh voice,’ she says. ‘And Jay said, “You know how you are normally? Do that. Just be yourself.” I was like, “Really?” But I did it. And that proved to be so important.’
So it did. Since then, Claudia has received two BAFTA nominations for her role as co-host of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing, alongside Tess Daly. She’s also hosted a slew of other prime-time hits, including Best Home Cook, has her own Radio 2 show and hosts the podcast How Did We Get Here? And yet, she reveals, she still grapples with self-doubt. ‘Of course there are those moments where I go, “What I am doing? I shouldn’t be here, somebody has made a terrible mistake.” But I like self-doubt. Have you met people who don’t suffer from it?’ I pause to think. ‘Exactly. They’re terrifying!’ she quips. ‘I don’t do anything to get rid of that feeling; I think it’s totally normal.’
She’s refreshingly honest about her nerves, too, particularly when it comes to live TV. ‘I love it, but I’m definitely scared of it,’ she says. ‘When I hear “5, 4, 3…” in my ear before we go live on Strictly, the fear really sets in. I feel like I can’t breathe and I sort of hurt Tess – not properly, but I twist her arm and hold on to her. I get so terrified by all that; I feel overwhelmed by it.’ But the high she gets at the end of it all, she explains, makes it all worth it: ‘I still get it now. Then I go and lie down in Tess’s room and we eat pizza – enough pizza to kill a grown giant.’
She describes Strictly as a gift – ‘It’s everything, the security, the laughs’ – and is bursting with behind-the-scenes stories: the time she naively shared the ‘top secret’ list of contestants
in the lift at ITV Studios, the days when former head judge Len Goodman would teach her to dance (‘none of it went in’) and the moment where ‘everyone goes nuts and we all dance our heads off in Blackpool’. She also admits that after ‘liftgate’, she’s ‘the last to be told anything’, so this year’s series has been shrouded in secrecy. ‘All I know is we all miss each other and want to be together, but we want to be safe,’ she says.
Claudia has been busy writing her first book, Quite. It’s a memoir of sorts that celebrates everything from friendship to a decent eyeliner. ‘It’s everything I discuss with my girlfriends,’ she says, ‘whether that’s, “Should I sleep with him if…” (that’s my single girlfriends) or “What do we do about the kids?”’
I’ve read the book and it’s a wonderfully honest read that has you laughing one minute and borrowing advice from it the next. Claudia, of course, refuses to accept this feedback. ‘Oh, don’t be silly, it’s awful!’ she says. Is she nervous about it? ‘Yes!’ she squeals. ‘I’m definitely fearful because you do sort of feel vulnerable.’ Being
I play bridge, I nap every day, I make stew, I drive the kids mad
able to write the book while juggling the demands of a busy household – namely kids, Arthur, seven, Jake, 17 and Matilda – was down to teamwork with her film producer husband, Kris. ‘At the start of lockdown, we couldn’t get any of the food we were used to, so I spent the whole time saying, “I have a butternut squash and a can of sardines that’s going to be delicious!”’ she says. ‘I made lots of inedible meals and then Kris said, “I’ll do the cooking and you can go upstairs to write your book.” I think everyone was relieved!’
The pair celebrated 20 years of marriage this year with a walk round Hyde Park. ‘It was very sweet and we saw a duckling,’ she says. ‘But I’m not really one for anniversaries. I’m not a very romantic person – he’s much more romantic than me, the poor guy.’
She hesitates on why their marriage still works. ‘I really don’t know and I don’t know how long it will last, but right now, it’s lovely,’ she says. But she makes a point about relationships in her book: ‘Don’t expect him to be your 100 per cent.’ And it has stayed with me. I suggest that might be the answer.
‘Yes, that is good advice!’ she says. ‘It’s not that he can’t be 100 per cent – he can be – but you need the other stuff. You need your girlfriends. There’s nothing like your best friend saying, “Two margaritas and a bowl of chips please.” It’s not that I don’t love him saying, “Bottle of red and lasagne for two, please.” I love hearing those words. But you have to have both.’
Right now, muses Claudia, there’s a shift occurring at home. As the kids get older, their needs are changing and, inevitably, they’re starting to pull away. ‘My ideal scenario is us all getting under the covers, watching Finding Nemo and cuddling, while Daddy goes downstairs to make toasties,’ she says. ‘That, sadly, has to end as they grow up and they need other things. And that’s heartbreaking.
‘But it’s all part of it and I have to let it happen, like my parents let it happen with me. You hope they’ll come back. Besides, they’ll never be able to afford to live in London – they’ll have to live with me forever!’
As for her own experience of ageing, that’s a different story. ‘I hope you have another hour; I could talk about this until January,’ she laughs, when I ask her about life in her
I didn’t love being young, I was less comfortable
40s. ‘I didn’t love being young; I was less comfortable. I never liked parties and I’ve never been good at drinking. I asked for a crochet set for my 21st birthday! I’ve just been waiting to get to this age. I play bridge, I nap every day, I make stew, I drive the kids mad. It’s a fab way to live.’
So there’s a sense of liberation then? ‘Yes!’ she says. ‘I love that in your late 40s, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You eat what you want, see who you want, go to the cinema when you fancy. I’m not saying you don’t bend with the people you love, but what you’re not doing is going to a restaurant an hour away to see people you’ve met twice because you feel like you should. That stuff has gone. And all the angst has gone.’
Are there any challenges? ‘Well, my body is falling apart and my face is like a Shar Pei dog under the fringe,’ she says. ‘But I’m all right with that.
I’m weirdly fine.’
The secret to being fine with it, she says, is acceptance. ‘When I was pregnant with my second child, I felt guilty to my first one and didn’t know if we were having the second too soon. The doctor just looked at me and went, “Claudia, the train has left the station.” I was like, “Got it!” And I accepted it. And that’s the thing about getting older – there has to be acceptance. It’s happened. Now I’m just interested in living healthy and long so I can cuddle 900 grandchildren.’
There are no big ambitions Claudia wants to achieve now; she’s content. ‘I’m done, totally done,’ she says. ‘Not in a bad way, but I’ve exceeded. I’m often asked, “What’s next?” And I’m like, “What are you talking about?” I should have been allowed to do a quarter of the stuff
I’ve done, so I feel really lucky. And my parents always say, “Don’t push it.” It’s true. Leave before you’re asked. Get out of a party at 11pm.’
Success, she thinks, is ‘being grateful for the simple things. It’s sitting with the family, everyone eating, laughing, chatting, doing a puzzle or playing a game of cards.’ And who can argue with that?