Inside Claudia Winkleman’s family: from royal sister to famous husband and parents

She’s the face of Strictly Come Dancing, The Traitors and The Piano, but when TV host Claudia Winkleman isn’t donning sparkly dresses and cheering on hopeful contestants, the 53-year-old loves nothing more than spending quality time with her family. But who are her loved ones?

Claudia has been married for 23 years and is a mum of three. She also has well-known parents and a half-sister who is a member of the royal family.

Want to know more? Read on…

Husband and children

Claudia is married to film producer Kris Thykier. Kris has been in the film industry for many years and has his name on the credits of many blockbuster films and television shows such as Kick-Ass, The Woman in Gold and Sky Atlantic’s Riviera.

Kris and Claudia married in 2000 and the couple have three children together, Jake, Matilda, and Arthur. Claudia and Kris are generally private about their home life and rarely post about their relationship and children.

Claudia’s children mean the world to her, and they almost led to her quitting Strictly. Appearing on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, the TV star said she phoned the bosses “in tears” because of her fear that the show would clash with her son’s move to university.

“I phoned the boss of Strictly quite dramatically and said, through tears, ‘Sarah I love you. I don’t want to leave Strictly and Tess and I have agreed we will leave together when they’re done with us, but if the first show is September 13, I’m out and you’ll have to go with somebody else.'”

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The mother-of-three added: “And there was a beat. And she said, ‘Quite dramatic. We don’t start that week.’ I was like, ‘Alright. I have to go and put up his posters.’ It’s not that I love him more than others love their kids, but this is something parents have to go through.”

Matilda’s accident 

In 2014, Claudia’s daughter Matilda was seriously injured and taken to hospital when her Halloween costume caught fire. Claudia stated that her daughter, who was eight at the time, had brushed against a candle which had led to her costume catching alight. After the incident, the government subsequently tightened the regulations around costume standards. Thankfully, Matilda made a full recovery.

Parents Eve and Barry Winkleman

Claudia was born in London to mum Eve Pollard and dad Barry Winkleman, but her parents separated when she was just three years old. Claudia followed in her parent’s footsteps by working in the media, as her mum and dad were both journalists.

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Mum Eve is the former editor of the Sunday Express and her father was a book publisher. After her parents split, Claudia’s mum got married again to the former editor of the Daily Express, Nicholas Lloyd, and her father also remarried to children’s author Cindy Black.

Eve is incredibly proud of her daughter, and speaking to the Sunday Times in 2018, she said: “Numerous mothers and fathers have had a famous child. But Claudia’s fame is so astonishing because it has crept up slowly and not one bit of it was planned. She doesn’t feel famous. If you think you’ve seen her on the Tube, you probably have.”

Siblings Sophie and Oliver

Claudia was born an only child but gained siblings after her parent’s divorce through their subsequent marriages. Through her mother’s second marriage, Claudia gained a younger half-brother called Oliver. Claudia also gained a half-sister through her father’s second marriage – actress Sophie Winkleman.

Sophie has appeared in shows such as Peep Show and Two and a Half Men alongside Ashton Kutcher throughout her career. Sophie, now formally known as Lady Frederick Windsor, married Lord Frederick Windsor in 2009, the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

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The actress also attended the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor alongside Prince Harry in 2019. In 2017, Sophie was seriously injured in a head-on car crash. Luckily, she suffered no long-term problems. In September 2018, she spoke exclusively to HELLO! about the crash and praised the then Prince Charles for his support and for helping her and her family through the tough recovery period.

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Sophie said at the time: “Prince Charles sensed correctly that everything would be chaos at home, so he asked his cook, instead of taking care of him, to take care of us.” She continued: “So, our lunches and dinners were cooked at Clarence House then delivered for weeks on end while I was in hospital and then still disabled at home.”