Claudia Winkleman’s daughter Matilda Thykier will no doubt be thrilled that her famous mum has quit Strictly Come Dancing after 12 years as she will be able to spend more time with her
14:35, 27 Oct 2025Updated 16:06, 27 Oct 2025
Claudia Winkleman with her daughter Matilda on the set of Strictly Come Dancing (Image: Instagram)
Claudia Winkleman will undoubtedly be looking forward to spending her Saturday evenings with her family following her surprising departure from Strictly Come Dancing after 12 years.
The TV presenter has been leading the popular BBC dance competition for more than a decade, filming every Saturday evening from September right through to Christmas.
Her daughter Matilda Thykier will surely be delighted to have her famous mum around more as she steps down from the show at the conclusion of this series.
Whilst speculation mounts over Claudia and her co-host Tess Daly’s future projects, it appears Matilda has no intentions of pursuing them into the entertainment world.
Claudia and husband Kris Thykier’s 19-year-old daughter is studying chemistry at Bath University and is already in her second year, reports the Mirror.
Matilda Thykier, Claudia Winkleman daughter, 19, who endured horrific halloween accident(Image: Instagram)
She appears to be thoroughly enjoying student life and even spent three months residing in Copenhagen during this summer holiday.
The Traitors host Claudia has praised Matilda’s dedication and brilliance, once telling Grazia: “She’s a very clever girl. She sends me some of the work she does. I’m like, ‘What? How? Pardon?”.
Nevertheless, things haven’t always been straightforward for Matilda as she endured a horrific accident on Halloween.
In 2014, she was left with terrible burns when her costume caught fire.
Matilda was just eight years old at the time when her witch costume came into contact with a candle whilst out trick or treating.
Claudia has even described the incident as “life changing”. She recounted to BBC Watchdog: “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.
Matilda, who was eight-year-old at the time, was in a witch’s costume when it brushed against a candle at a house in London in 2014(Image: Instagram)
“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. We couldn’t put her out – like if your shirt caught fire or anything I could put it out.
“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 Winkleman and Kris Thykier attend the Charles Finch & CHANEL Pre-BAFTA Party at 5 Hertford Street on February 1, 2020 in London, England(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
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 a while 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.”
Claudia and fellow presenter Tess left viewers stunned last week after revealing they were both departing Strictly together.
They recorded a video to share the announcement, with Claudia saying: “There have been some rumblings and we want you to hear this from us.”
Tess added: “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 added: “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.”.
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