Claudia Winkleman

Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English broadcaster and writer. She is best known for co-presenting the BBC One dance competition Strictly Come Dancing (2004–present) from 2010 to 2025<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and presenting BBC One reality series The Traitors (2022–present), for which she won a BAFTA award in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Winkleman also hosted her Saturday mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 2020 to 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life

Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman<ref>The Cambridge University List of Members of the university (up to 31 December 1991), Cambridge University Press, 1991, p. 1491</ref> was born into a Jewish family in the Westminster district of London on 15 January 1972,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Take It From Me The Independent. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2009.</ref> the daughter of author and journalist Eve Pollard and her husband Barry Winkleman. She grew up in the Hampstead area of London.

Her parents divorced when she was three.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her father's marriage to children's author Cindy Black produced a half-sister, actress Sophie Winkleman, who later married Lord Frederick Windsor. Her mother's marriage to Lloyd gave her a half-brother, Oliver.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Winkleman was educated at the City of London School for Girls<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before attending New Hall, Cambridge, where she graduated in art history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Television

1991–2000

In 1992, Winkleman began appearing frequently in the long-running BBC series Holiday, and this continued throughout the mid-1990s. This culminated in a special documentary in which she travelled around the world for 34 days, reporting from Japan, India, Costa Rica and Dubai. Throughout this period, she appeared as a reporter on other shows, particularly This Morning, interviewing various celebrities. During the late 1990s, Winkleman presented a number of programmes on smaller digital channels. She had a stint on the cable channel L!VE TV, but soon left to pursue other projects. In 1996, Winkleman hosted Granada programmes God's Gift (taking over from Davina McCall) and Pyjama Party (co-hosted with Katie Puckrik and Michelle Kelly).

Winkleman also presented a number of gameshows, including the dating show Three's a Crowd,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> LWT show Talking Telephone Numbers, the second series of Granada TV show God's Gift, and Fanorama.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1997 she was the co-host of children's Saturday morning TV show Tricky. She was also an occasional team captain on a gameshow called HeadJam, hosted by Vernon Kay.

2001–2006

Winkleman's first major television job was in 2001, on the regional discussion programme Central Weekend.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Between 2002 and 2004, Winkleman began her first daily television role when she hosted the BBC Three Entertainment update show Liquid News, taking over from Christopher Price on the now defunct BBC Choice. She shared the presenting duties with Colin Paterson, and later Paddy O'Connell. The show featured celebrity interviews.

In 2003, Fame Academy appointed Winkleman to present a daily update show on BBC Three, in conjunction with its second series. She repeated the show in 2005 for the much shorter celebrity version Comic Relief Does Fame Academy. Also in 2005, Winkleman co-hosted The House of Tiny Tearaways, a BBC Three reality TV show. She also began hosting Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, a supplementary programme to Strictly Come Dancing.

Winkleman then presented several more reality shows, including End of Story<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Art School.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2007–2012

File:Claudia Winkleman (retouched).jpg

Winkleman in 2008

Winkleman narrated the 2008 BBC Three show Glamour Girls,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a documentary series about glamour modelling in Britain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2009, Winkleman was announced as the host of the new series of Hell's Kitchen on ITV1. She fronted the nightly show live from the restaurant in East London in its fourth series in the spring.<ref>"Winkleman to present new Hell's Kitchen" "Digital Spy". 23 March 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2009.</ref> On 14 November 2009, she appeared on the main show of Strictly Come Dancing to present backstage, due to main presenter Bruce Forsyth being on sick leave. She co-hosted the show with Tess Daly and guest presenter Ronnie Corbett.

On 29 March 2010, she was named as one of the new co-presenters of the Film programme, replacing Jonathan Ross.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Film 2010, Bbc.co.uk, Retrieved 9 October 2010.</ref> The Guardian stated, through her recent hosting of Sky Television's coverage of The Oscars, Winkleman had "proved both a passionate and engaging advocate of cinema", while her husband Kris Thykier is a film producer with credits on several mainstream releases.<ref name=Guardian29Mar2010>Template:Cite news</ref>

2013–present

On 2 April 2013, Winkleman began presenting the BBC Two sewing competition The Great British Sewing Bee, until 2016. The show went off air for 2017, but was brought back in 2018, with Joe Lycett replacing Winkleman as presenter.<ref name="RTimes">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2015, she appeared on The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2015, she appeared on an episode of Watchdog on BBC One in which she discussed, during a segment on dangerous Halloween costumes, that the previous year her daughter had been badly burned when the costume she was wearing caught fire.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November 2016, Winkleman presented the one-off BBC special Bublé at the BBC with Michael Bublé.

From 2018, she presented Britain's Best Home Cook and The Makeover Show<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> for BBC One.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2018, Winkleman co-presented The Biggest Weekend on BBC Two and BBC Radio 2.

In 2022, she began hosting the BBC reality gameshow The Traitors, in which contestants navigate challenges testing loyalty and deception. A second series was announced in February 2023, with Winkleman returning as host, premiering on 3 January 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Winkleman returned to host the third series, premiering on 1 January 2025, followed by a Celebrity Traitors series in October 2025.

In 2023, Winkleman hosted a five-part Channel 4 competition show The Piano, which gave amateur pianists the chance to perform at London's Royal Festival Hall.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was announced that the show had been renewed for a second and third series, a Christmas special, and a documentary focusing on the winner of the first series, Lucy Illingworth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Strictly Come Dancing

Template:Main Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two was devised as a companion show to run alongside the second series of Strictly Come Dancing, and continues to run. It follows a similar format to the one Winkleman hosted on Fame Academy, and sees the presenter deliberating and dissecting the ins and outs of the main competition, accompanied by dance experts, assorted guests and the competitors themselves.Template:Cn The show is aired every weekday at 6:30 pm on BBC Two throughout the course of the series.

Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two was hosted by Winkleman from its inception. In 2011, former contestant Zoe Ball took over as host from Winkleman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2010, Winkleman became co-host of the Sunday night results show of Strictly Come Dancing, presenting alongside Tess Daly.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following Bruce Forsyth's departure in 2014, her role expanded to include presenting the main show.<ref name=":2" />

On 23 October 2025, Winkleman and Daly jointly announced that they would leave the show following completion of the latest series and the recording of the Christmas Special.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref>

Writing

Winkleman started her journalism career as a travel writer, writing columns about her various worldwide excursions in The Sunday Times and The Independent, and the free daily paper Metro. She began to write more general work, opinion-led lifestyle journalism about womanhood, sex and relationships.Template:Cn She wrote for Cosmopolitan and Tatler amongst others. Between 2005 and 2008, she wrote a regular weekly column for The Independent called Take It From Me.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Radio

In April and May 2008, Winkleman hosted a six-part comedy quiz series taking a humorous look into the week's celebrity gossip, called Hot Gossip.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The show was broadcast on a Saturday afternoon on BBC Radio 2; points were awarded to those who dished out dirt.<ref>"Hot Gossip" page, BBC Radio 2. Retrieved 2 December 2023.</ref> The show featured pundits including Will Smith, Phil Nichol, Jo Caulfield, Rufus Hound and Jonathan Ross' brother, Paul.

She hosted a weekly show on BBC Radio 2 every Friday night between 10pm and midnight called Claudia Winkleman's Arts Show, consisting of interviews with people from the arts world, as well as reviews and debate. In July 2010, Winkleman sat in for Dermot O'Leary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She covered for Ken Bruce on several occasions from 2012 until 2014.

In April 2016, she began presenting her own Sunday night show on BBC Radio 2 called Claudia on Sunday from 7 to 9pm. In June 2017, Winkleman covered for Steve Wright in the Afternoon from 2 to 5pm.

In 2020, Claudia on Sunday was displaced from the schedules and subsequently ended due to the COVID pandemic. It was announced on 23 November 2020 that Winkleman had taken over the Saturday mid-morning slot on BBC Radio 2 from Graham Norton. Winkleman's last Saturday morning show was broadcast on 23 March 2024,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with Romesh Ranganathan taking over.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Charity

In 2007, Winkleman answered telephones at the BT Tower for the Disasters Emergency Committee in response to a humanitarian crisis in Darfur.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May 2007, she helped relaunch The National Missing Persons Campaign,<ref>Charity re-launches on International Missing Children's Day 24 May 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2009. Template:Webarchive</ref> and also supported a Christmas campaign by the charity Refuge,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which aimed to stop domestic violence.<ref>"We've raised our hands" Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 3 October 2009.</ref>

On 18 March 2011, Winkleman was one of the presenters of BBC's Comic Relief.

In 2012, Winkleman was one of the judges and the host of the FilmNation shorts at the British Film Institute, which, as part of the Cultural Olympiad for the 2012 Summer Olympics, encouraged people aged 14–25 to get involved in filmmaking.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2025, Winkleman was appointed a trustee of the British Museum.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She said of the appointment: "I am deeply honoured to join the Museum's Board of Trustees and hope that I can in some small way help it to continue its mission to curate, conserve and explain our history for the benefit and education of all."<ref name=":1" />

Personal life

In June 2000, Winkleman married film producer Kris Thykier at Marylebone Town Hall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They have three children together.<ref>"Claudia Winkleman is given a baby ban by her husband" The Daily Telegraph. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2013.</ref>

On 31 October 2014, Winkleman's eight-year-old daughter was taken to hospital after being seriously injured when her Halloween costume caught fire.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Winkleman stated that the costume had brushed against a lit candle in a pumpkin.<ref>Template:CitationTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The incident prompted the UK government to tighten the flame retardant standards of Halloween costumes.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Winkleman was born with severe myopia and has undergone multiple surgeries on her eyes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Her half-sister, Sophie, married into the British royal family when she became the wife of Lord Frederick Windsor, the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

Honours and awards

Winkleman was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2025 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Awards & nominations

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Template:Abbr
2025	Royal Television Society	Entertainment Performance	Template:Nom
		Outstanding Achievement Award	Template:Won
	BAFTA TV Awards	Entertainment Performance	Template:Nom
	National Reality TV Awards	Best TV Presenter	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024	National Reality TV Awards	Best TV Presenter	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2023	BAFTA Awards	Entertainment Performance	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	National Reality TV Awards	Best TV Presenter	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
		Celebrity Personality of the Year	Template:Nom
	Edinburgh TV Festival	Outstanding Achievement Award	Template:Won
2020	TRIC Awards	TV Personality	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Heat Unmissable Awards	Book of the Year	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2019	BAFTA Awards	Entertainment Performance	Template:Won
	WFTV Awards	Presenter Award	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2017	BAFTA Awards	Best Entertainment Performance	Template:Nom
	Heat Unmissable Awards	Ultimate TV Presenter	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2015	Royal Television Society	Entertainment Performance	Template:Won
	Glamour Awards	TV Presenter	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2014	TRIC Awards	TV Personality	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
Template:Unknown	L!VE TV	Co-presenter
Template:Unknown	This Morning	Roving reporter
Template:Unknown	Holiday	Co-presenter
1996	Pajama Party		with Katie Puckrick and Michelle Kelly
1997	Tricky	Presenter
	Talking Telephone Numbers	Co-presenter	with Phillip Schofield
1998	God's Gift	Presenter	Series 2
2001	Fanorama
2002–2004	Liquid News
2003–2005, 2007	Comic Relief Does Fame Academy	Co-presenter	BBC Three coverage (2003–2005) BBC One main show (2007)
2004–2010	Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two	Presenter	7 series; spin-off series
2004	HeadJam	Team captain
	Three's A Crowd	Presenter
2005–2007	The House of Tiny Tearaways		4 series
2007–2008	Eurovision Dance Contest	Co-presenter	with Graham Norton
2008	Eurovision: Your Decision		with Sir Terry Wogan
	Glamour Girls	Narrator
2009–2015	Comic Relief	Co-presenter
2009	Hell's Kitchen	Presenter	1 series
2010–2018	Sport Relief	Co-presenter
2010–2016	Film...
2010–2025	Strictly Come Dancing		Results shows only (2010–2013) Main co–host (2014–2025)
2013–2016	The Great British Sewing Bee	Presenter	4 series
2016	Bublé at the BBC		One-off special
2017	The Year in Music 2017	Co-presenter	with Clara Amfo
2018–2021	Britain's Best Home Cook	Presenter	3 series
2018	The Biggest Weekend	Co-presenter
2019	Icons: The Greatest Person of the 20th Century		with Nick Robinson
2020	One World: Together at Home		with Dermot O'Leary and Clara Amfo
2022	Taskmaster	Contestant	1 episode
2022–2025	One Question<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>	Presenter	2 series
2022–present	The Traitors		3 series; 1 upcoming<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>
2023–present	The Piano		3 series<ref name=":0" />
2025–present	The Celebrity Traitors		1 series

Radio

Year	Title	Role	Station
2008	Hot Gossip	Presenter	BBC Radio 2
2010	Dermot O'Leary	Stand-in presenter
2008–2013	Claudia Winkleman's Arts Show	Presenter
2012–2014	Ken Bruce	Stand-in presenter
2016–2020	Claudia on Sunday	Presenter
2017	Steve Wright in the Afternoon	Stand-in presenter
2018	The Biggest Weekend	Co-presenter
2021–2024	Saturday mid-mornings	Presenter
2022	'The Voice of Reason' – Gavin Dodds Podcast	Storytime listener and poet

External links

• Template:IMDb name
• Template:Twitter
• Claudia Winkleman's column for The Independent