Claudia Winkleman says that despite her iconic look, she doesn’t often get recognised while out in public, which she says is a ‘decision’ she made to allow her to go about her day
Claudia Winkleman hardly ever gets recognised by fans.
With her iconic fringe and bright fake tan, she has one of the most distinctive looks in showbiz and she hosts a string of hit shows including The Traitors, Strictly and The Piano. But against the odds, she still manages to go under the radar when she’s out in public.
The presenter admits she is thrilled she can go unnoticed most of the time.
Claudia says: “I have anonymity, of course I do. I don’t really get recognised a lot. I really don’t. It’s a decision you make. I have decided that I’m not famous. I can go anywhere. It’s a state of mind.”
Claudia is a regular on the London Underground when she’s out and about. Many commuters loathe their trips on the Tube, but she loves having a bit of normality.
“I’m on the Tube every day,” she says. “People don’t realise it’s me, so I can do it without them noticing.
“I’m always on the Central Line. I love it. It’s so fast. It’s charming. It is a bit warm, but it’s fast.
“The Elizabeth Line is so glamorous. But the District Line is too slow.”
When Claudia does get approached, she quite enjoys it. That’s probably because some of the time they mix her up with someone else — fellow presenter Davina McCall.
She says: “When I do get recognised it’s usually for The Piano or The Traitors and they’ll say, ‘I’m a Faithful!’
“But a lot of the time they think I’m someone else. They’ll ask me to sign something and when I say I’ll do it, they say, ‘Thank you Davina’. So I sign it as her!”
While Claudia manages to be incognito in public, there’s no doubt that she’s one of the most talked-about people in the country.
Whether it’s her quirky look or what’s happened on The Traitors, she’s regularly a talking point on social media.
But just like she’s not fussed about fame, she’s also not fussed about opinions.
“What other people think of me is none of my business,” she declares. “I really do believe that, in the nicest possible way.
“If you believe the nice, you have to believe the bad, so it’s best not to look. For some people, I’m always going to be orange or too noisy or have a fringe that’s too long.
“I know that’s all incredibly irritating and I would be irritated by it if it was someone else. I would.
“And people have a right to be irritated and say something.
“I don’t think people have to stop making comments. I think it’s my responsibility whether I look at them or not.”
Whatever happens, you’ll never catch Claudia moaning about her fame. The 53-year-old doesn’t let any of the downsides get to her.
“I’m incredibly lucky with what I do,” she admits. “For me to complain about any aspect of what I do for a living would be genuinely laughable. That’s how I feel.”
Claudia has been working on TV for more than three decades.
After starting out with jobs on This Morning and Holiday, she worked her way up to become hot property. These days, she’s one of the busiest stars in the industry. But despite that, she still worries it’ll all be over tomorrow and she’ll be out of work.
She says: “I’m going to lose my jobs any minute now. Thankfully I’ve still got them at the moment. I don’t know when it will end.”
The Piano is back for a new series this Sunday at 9pm on Channel 4.
It’s a big hit, so it was a no-brainer for the network to bring it back, but Claudia hadn’t taken anything for granted. She says: “We thought we were going to do the show once. It’s best not to be greedy.
“I thought, ‘We did that and had a wonderful time, thank you very much.’
“But then the producers were like, ‘We’ll go again’. And now it’s happened again. It’s a privilege.”
As you’d expect, Claudia isn’t assuming that there will be another series after this one.
She adds: “I have no idea what will happen. We are very obedient. I think it’s nice not to grab. Let’s see.
“It might be a couple of years before it happens.”
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
