Claudia’s Career Panic

Claudia Winkleman has admitted she was once deeply unsure about taking on The Traitors, the BBC reality format that would later become one of the biggest successes of her career.

The presenter, who recently stepped away from Strictly Come Dancing alongside Tess Daly after 11 years, told Closer she feared the project might fail before it launched in 2022. Recalling a moment of panic, she said she phoned her husband, producer Kris Thykier, and told him, “I think it’s over.”

Winkleman was eventually persuaded to watch an international version of the format and take the job. The decision paid off: produced in the UK by Studio Lambert, founded by Stephen Lambert, The Traitors became a major BBC hit across multiple seasons and later expanded with a celebrity spin-off.

The show has helped reshape Winkleman’s post-Strictly career, giving her a darker, sharper presenting identity far removed from the ballroom glamour she shared with Daly. Its global profile has also grown, with Alan Cumming fronting the US version and helping turn the franchise into a wider entertainment brand.

Despite the success, Winkleman said the attention still makes her uneasy, though she feels “incredibly lucky.” She has also continued to branch out, recently hosting The Claudia Winkleman Show on BBC One, a role she described as nerve-wracking after a mixed response.

Away from TV, Winkleman lives with Thykier and their children Jake, 23, Matilda, 19, and Arthur, 14. She has said they remain unimpressed by fame and have no interest in following her into showbusiness.

Winkleman and Daly’s Strictly exit ends one of the BBC’s most familiar presenting partnerships, following the legacy of Bruce Forsyth and leaving the series to continue with figures including Shirley Ballas. The pair still plan to watch the new series together with their husbands, Thykier and Vernon Kay.