Newsreader’s daughter badly burnt in fire

THE eight-year-old daughter of television newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky suffered severe burns after their boat went up in flames during a family holiday on Corfu.

Angelica, Ms Kaplinsky’s youngest child, was flown from Greece back to the UK for medical treatment following the accident, which saw a fire in the engine room spread to the rest of the boat.

The 45-year-old newsreader, Angelica and another relative are understood to have been rescued by a fisherman who then helped put out the fire. The little girl is now said to be making a good recovery.

Investigators are examining the cause of the fire, which may have begun when a petrol leak ignited. A Corfu Port Authority spokesman said: “The vessel suffered a mechanical failure which caused a fire in the engine room.

“At first the girl was rushed to hospital in Corfu Town with burns to her face and hands. Her mother and grandfather were treated at a private clinic. It was then decided to fly them home.”

Ms Kaplinsky’s husband, Justin Bower, 45, and son Arlo, nine, as well as two other relatives, were also aboard the Plumbago Go. A spokesman for Ms Kaplinsky told the Mail: “Natasha and her family were involved in an accident in Corfu. They came home early to receive treatment and are making a good recovery at home.”

Ms Kaplinsky and her husband have a five-bedroom holiday home on the Greek Island, also called Plumbago.

The broadcaster, who was the first winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004, became Britain’s highest-paid newsreader in 2007 when Channel 5 recruited her from the BBC with a £1million-a-year deal.