The Traitors presenter, who kicks off her highly-anticipated BBC One chat show later this month, has opened up on a major change in her home life with husband Kris Thykier
She’s made a few bold career decisions – including replacing certified national treasure Sir Bruce Forsyth as co-host of Strictly Come Dancing – but Claudia Winkleman’s boldest and most controversial move was, she says, when she introduced her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Skip, to the family.
She admits that her family were dead against getting a dog, previously telling The Times: “They all said, ‘absolutely not mum, we’re just not a dog family. We don’t have a garden, so it’s not fair on the dog’.”
But Claudia was determined to have a little four-legged friend scampering around the Grade II-listed central London townhouse she shares with her film producer husband Kris Thykier and their three kids Jake 22, Matilda, 19, and Arthur, 14.
Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine ahead of the launch of her new chat show, The Traitors star Claudia admitted that she sprung Skip onto her family as a complete surprise.
She revealed: “I didn’t tell anyone, then I went and got him,” adding that their initial reaction was one of “horror,” although it quickly became “pure love.”
These days, Skip is an established member of the family, and insists on everyone else working around his schedule: “Skip woke me up at four this morning for a little chat. The husband’s concerned,” Claudia says.
Dog-lover Claudia has previously commented that she sees her showbiz career as temporary, while her relationship with Skip is forever: “I’ll blink and someone else will have my job,” she said, before adding: “That’s fine. I’ll have my dog.”
Claudia, 54, is utterly devoted to Skip: “He’s divine. I French kiss him. I licked his entire tongue once.”
Although, she admits, she’s not the most domestic person, she still takes her duty to Skip very seriously: “I’m the laziest person in the world. I’ve never hung up a towel.
“The kids had to learn how to unload the dishwasher from a really young age. But I said, ‘Don’t worry, this is on me’.
“I knew he was my responsibility,” Claudia adds. “Nobody else had to pick up the poo or do the walking. I slept on the floor next to him until he got used to the new house. I take him on four walks a day.”
Claudia’s love of dogs isn’t just confined to Skip though. The host of shows as diverse as This Morning, Comic Relief’s Fame Academy, The House of Tiny Tearaways and countless others admits that she has been lobbying Channel 4 “for years” in hope of getting a chance to present their coverage of Crufts. She delightedly says that they have “finally relented’ and given her the job.
Claudia admits that she’s a little anxious about it though: “I get into bed and read books on dog breeds, because I’m nervous about that …you don’t want to let anybody down.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
