When it comes life in the showbiz sphere, it’s safe to say that Claudia Winkleman is a woman in demand. Whether it’s presenting Strictly Come Dancing alongside Tess Daly, keeping The Traitors in line in the BBC smash hit whodunnit series, or delighting audiences alongside Mika and Lang Lang in Channel 4 ’s The Piano, there’s certainly no rest for the wicked.
Yet one thing Claudia has managed to prioritise amid her jam-packed schedule, is her own health and wellness – and unlike some stars, the much loved presenter likes to keep things lowkey and simple by following a few golden rules to make sure she remains at her best. However, don’t be fooled, some of Claudia’s life hacks aren’t for the fainthearted.
Here, we unpack some of the showbiz icon’s most favoured health and wellness tips…
There are no mirrors in her house
When appearing on screen, Claudia often looks flawless but it may surprise some fans to know that unlike her work persona, she doesn’t actually keep mirrors in her home. In 2014, Claudia told Women’s Health’s Going for Goal podcast that her mum former newspaper editor Eve Pollard had raised her in a house that didn’t have any mirrors – and it appears the habit has stuck, as Claudia has opted to continue it in her own home.
“I was brought up in a house without mirrors, so my mum is a huge believer – and my dad – in the shell is only that. What I look like, how I’ve done my eyeliner – that’s not the shiz, the stuff is the inside, the chat, the brains, the laughs, the loyalty, the kindness, the cooking an extraordinary roast chicken,” she explained.
“What you look like is the least interesting thing about you, it’s got to be, because it is all going to fall apart, and I hope I’ve passed that onto my kids as well.”
She never removes her makeup before bed
It may be regarded as breaking one of the cardinal rules of makeup, but Claudia has revealed she has no qualms with catching 40 winks while still wearing her makeup – and even admitted she does so frequently.
“I’ve never ever taken it off before bed,” she told The Express. “I take it off the next morning with my nifty Boots No7 gel which comes in a tube. Fantastic – don’t have to deal with pot opening. But no, I sleep in it. I have more fun in my dream.”
Sadly, the main drawback of sleeping with a face full of makeup is the mess it makes of her pillows – something the star did sheepishly admit was not a pretty sight. “Yes, it’s disgusting,” she told the publication. “With the eyeliner and the spray tan, it looks like I’ve had quite a nasty accident. You just have to apologise. I just wash [the sheets] a lot.”
She credits for her fringe for boosting her sex life
Last year Claudia set off around the country on a speaking tour dubbed Behind The Fringe, in which she shared snippets of her life with adoring fans. During one particularly tour stop, Guildford, Claudia revealed she would never cut or lose her iconic heavy fringe – and had a very specific reason for doing so.
She said: “People ask, ‘Did you always have a fringe?’ Yes, I did. People ask what I am hiding with my fringe — it’s a massive forehead that is repellent.
“I was born with six extra teeth like a little dinosaur. When people saw me smile they screamed. But when I was 21 and a virgin, I got my fringe and everything started happening.”
Tongue in cheek comments aside, Claudia also went on to reveal to the Irish News that her fringe was actually a defence mechanism and something that helped her to cope with the day to day struggles of modern life.
“I think I came out of the womb with a fringe,” she joked “If you’re on the school run, look disgusting, are knackered, have lost your house keys, are in mismatching shoes and the world’s falling apart, but you’ve got a fringe – a heavy fringe – something’s still going on.”
She’s passionate about her oral health
While not at the top of everyone’s list of fun pastimes, oral health is something Claudia takes very seriously. In fact, she once described brushing her teeth as a highlight of her day, telling Stylist: “I look forward to it like people do with holidays.”
Given her passion for her teeth, it’s perhaps no surprise that the showbiz maven splashed the cash on a set of invisible braces from Invisalign while in her 40s, to correct an unexpected problem that had arisen with her teeth.
Speaking on the The Emma Guns Show podcast back in 2018, Claudia said: “They’re part of the mid-life crisis. I’ve got Invisalign in. My teeth suddenly went crooked, one morning they all decided to fold in front of each other, you couldn’t do anything with them so I got this, I’m slightly in love with it. They’re so clever.”
Gratitude is everything
Claudia is keen to embrace a positive attitude and to be grateful for the good things in her life, which means Claudia doesn’t believe in regrets.
She told the Irish News : ‘They’re a bit of a waste of time. Of course, I haven’t done everything right in my life, but I’m incredibly grateful for what I have. I think we’re all agreed, I’ve been far too lucky already.’
She’s a voracious reader
Although she may be one of the most in-demand people on TV, Claudia is surprisingly more invested in books than she is a screen. Making the most of her downtime amid a busy work schedule, the Strictly star can often be found with her nose in a book – and for good reason.
“Both my mother and my father were big readers, so it’s in my blood,” she previously told SheerLuxe. “But it’s also about habit – get into bed and pick up a book, not your phone. So long as it’s on charge in another room, I’m not interested in my phone.”
She’s a big advocate for long showers
At the end of a long day, Claudia swears by long showers to help de-stress. Claudia told the Belfast Telegraph : “This is going to be weird for you because most people are probably going to say bath, but I love an endless shower.
“You turn the shower on and you get in and you go, ‘Here we go’. I have Head & Shoulders, the new Nourishing Care Lavender one. It’s so amazing. You open it up and suddenly you’re in Provence.”
Drinking a glass of water is a big no-no
Medical advice often encourages to drink at least 2 litres of water a day, but one person you won’t see guzzling down glasses of the stuff is Claudia, who admitted herself she can’t actually stand plain glasses of water.
While chatting on the Off Menu podcast, Claudia revealed: “I don’t like or believe in water, I won’t have it… I’ve never knowingly had water, I don’t like it. When people drink it – such as my husband, who drinks great amounts of water and whom I really like – it’s problematic.
“He’s glugging, I think “Don’t touch me”, he says, “Claud, take your bra off” – I don’t think so. I’m never thirsty, I’ve never been thirsty, and I don’t like the taste. Sparkling is too much of a shock. I just don’t like liquids.”
She doesn’t believe in cheat meals
Claudia has a very relaxed approach to her diet, and doesn’t follow anything in particular, so there’s definitely no fads or crash diets on her agenda. In the past, she has revealed she loves avocados, which are a superfood that contain healthy fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
She has also previously indulged in plenty of takeaways with her Strictly co-star Tess Daly, and has previously been known to tuck into four Filet-O-Fish from McDonald’s at a time.
However one thing she doesn’t like, is the term ‘cheat meals’, something she has previously discussed with Marie Claire, as she didn’t want food to suddenly become a dirty word.
“I don’t think it should be called a cheat meal. Then what are the other meals? We all have to be careful about the way we talk about it, “ she argued. “What is my favourite meal of all time? Roast chicken, roast potatoes, horseradish, buttery peas, a cheese board that will include Gorgonzola, and then probably tiramisu.”
