Strictly presenter to talk about daughter’s burns accident

Claudia Winkleman is to appear on consumer rights show Watchdog this month to speak about how her daughter was badly burned when her fancy dress costume went up in flames.

The Strictly Come Dancing host, who missed three weeks of the show after eight-year-old Matilda was taken to hospital after the incident, will warn parents of the dangers as part of a special investigation.

In a statement issued at the time, Winkleman and film producer husband Kris Thykier urged people to take care on Bonfire Night.

They said: “We would like to take this opportunity to remind anyone taking part in fireworks parties or Guy Fawkes celebrations to be vigilant about the dangers of candles, open fires and fireworks and to please have the appropriate safety measures in place and to hand.”

Winkleman eventually returned to the ballroom show in triumph, picking up an award for her work.

She won the prize for entertainment performance at the Royal Television Society (RTS) awards, beating Graham Norton and Keith Lemon, with the judges calling her “a genuinely individual performer, naturally quick and witty as well as being a consummate professional”.

The Great British Sewing Bee and Film 2015 presenter and former PR executive Thykier – whose film production credits include Kick-Ass and Paul Potts movie One Chance – married in 2000. They have three young children: Jake, Arthur and Matilda.

Winkleman – daughter of former newspaper editor Eve Pollard – landed the role of Strictly co-host, joining Tess Daly, in the autumn when Sir Bruce Forsyth stepped down from the show after a decade.

Winkleman is to appear on Watchdog.