Claudia Winkelman will be able to spend more time with her teenage daughter Matilda as she bows out of her job on the hit BBC dance competition.
Mia O’Hare Showbiz Reporter and Monde Mwitumwa TV and Celebrity Reporter
16:04, 27 Oct 2025
Claudia Winkleman’s daughter (Image: Instagram)
Claudia Winkleman will undoubtedly be relishing the prospect of spending her Saturday evenings with her family after her surprising departure from Strictly Come Dancing following 12 years at the helm.
The television host has fronted the popular BBC dancing show for more than a decade, dedicating every Saturday evening from September through to Christmas to filming.
Her daughter Matilda Thykier will certainly be delighted to have her celebrated mother around more often as she steps away from the programme at the conclusion of this series.
Whilst speculation continues regarding Claudia and co-presenter Tess Daly’s future projects, it appears Matilda has no intentions of pursuing a career in showbusiness.
Claudia Winkleman’s daughter Matilda suffered a horror accident(Image: Instagram)READ MORE: Former Strictly Come Dancing judge defends Amber Davies after ‘scandal’READ MORE: BBC star shares major transformation after suffering ‘unlucky’ health battle
The 19-year-old daughter of Claudia and husband Kris Thykier is studying chemistry at Bath University and has already completed her second year, reports the Mirror.
She appears to be thoroughly enjoying university life and even spent three months residing in Copenhagen during her summer holidays.
The Traitors presenter Claudia has praised Matilda’s dedication and academic prowess, previously telling Grazia: “She’s a very clever girl. She sends me some of the work she does. I’m like, ‘What? How? Pardon?'”
Nevertheless, life hasn’t always been straightforward for Matilda, who endured a terrifying accident on Halloween. In 2014, she sustained severe burns when her costume caught fire.
Matilda is a student at Bath University (Image: Instagram)
Matilda was merely eight years old when her witch outfit came into contact with a candle whilst trick-or-treating. Claudia has described the incident as “life changing”.
Speaking to BBC Watchdog, she said: “I was talking to somebody, and then I just heard her scream. She just screamed ‘Mummy’ and I turned round and that was that, she was just on fire.
“Everyone was screaming. She was screaming, all the kids there were screaming… It feels like she was on fire for hours but the surgeon said that definitely wasn’t the case and it was probably just seconds.
“But she went up, is the only way I know how to describe it. It was not like fire I had seen before. ” Recalling the horrifying ordeal, she added: “We couldn’t put her out – like if your shirt caught fire or anything I could put it out.
Claudia campaigned for stricter regulations on Halloween costumes (Image:
BBC/PLANET PHOTOS
)
“It was the tights that… they came back to life. It was like those horrific birthday candles that you blow out and then they come back. ” Speaking about Matilda’s burns, Claudia explained: “It’s life-changing but not life-defining. It was definitely life-changing for me. I can’t remember life before it.”
Claudia is also a proud mum to sons Jake, 21, and Arthur, 13. It appears she has been wanting to spend more time with her family for some time as last year she stepped down from her BBC Radio 2 show.
She said: “Time is going too fast, my daughter is getting ready to leave home and she was three about five minutes ago. I still have a little one who wants to be with me – I don’t know how long that will last, and I just need to be at home more.”
The presenter announced her exit from Strictly with co-star Tess(Image: INSTAGRAM)
Claudia and co-presenter Tess left viewers stunned last week when they revealed their joint departure from Strictly. They recorded a video to break the news, with Claudia explaining: “There have been some rumblings and we want you to hear this from us. “
Tess continued: “We have news, after 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly, we have decided that the time is right to step aside and pass over the baton.
“It’s been a huge part of our lives since our children were literally babes in arms, and now they’re adults, and I think genuinely we have cherished every second.”
Claudia went on: “We have, we’re so lucky to have been part of this amazing show and we just want to thank the Strictly team, because Strictly is the people who make it.”
Strictly Come Dancing returns Saturday at 6.55pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
