Claudia: How am I the host?

CLAUDIA Winkleman brings the wit and verve to Strictly,y, but the host admits she doesn’t know howw she ended up with one TV’s most coveted presenting gigs.

“I feel so ridiculously lucky, I don’t know how this happened,” she reveals.

“I’ve beeneen so lucky and I think it’s a constructt that my parents have created to make me feel good.

“I thinkk they have done it to build me up like, ‘This is real. She believes it’. I can’t find a bad thingg to say about it. I like the fact I can get all excited cited in sequins… for the time being, as I will be fired next week as we all know.”

But Claudia audia admits bosses have taken some privileges s away from her. For example, she’s not allowed wed to know the names of contestantsnts in advance. She recalls: “When I did It Takeses Two they were like, ‘Claudia we are goingg to tell you the names, it is quite serious. Don’t tell anyone’.

“I said, , ‘Of course, I’m so good at secrets. You can relyely on me’. I got in the lift with this young cool ol guy and he asked, ‘Are you doing the sister r show for Strictly? Who is doing it?’

“And I told him the whole list. They went to the producers ucers and said, ‘She is really leaky... on so many ny levels’.

Winners

“They won’t tell me the winner until Tess has said the name. Tess is told because she is grown upp and brilliant and is a professional and if you u ever see the shot when Tess says the name, e, I am like this [open-mouthed]. So don’t tell me anything ever.”

The mumum of three jokes her memory is so bad she keeps recommending celebs who have already ady appeared on Strictly to take part. “I can’tan’t place anybody anymore. Did I go to school ool with them? Have they been on Strictly?y? I’ve got no idea,” she says.

“When we leave Strictly the lovely people say, ay, ‘Can you write down five names of people you would love to do the show?’ ?’ I’ve never not written down five peopleple who have already done it.

“Like, ‘Alesha Alesha Dixon would be awesome’.”e’.”

The Radio dio Two presenter, 45, also says she “loves” getting older.

She laughs: ughs: “There’s lots of stuff I now w don’t do like when people sayay at parties, ‘Hey, I have got a fancy dress thing, and it is outside London. Are you in?’ n?’

“I am like,ike, ‘F*** off. Remove ove me from your r SIM card’. That at is how ‘in’ I am.”