TV star Claudia Winkleman may be in complete control on BBC’s tense series The Traitors, but that was not always the case for the experienced journalist and presenter, as a resurfaced clip of an interview of hers that went wrong shows.
Claudia was interviewing the pop band S Club 7, that was made up of Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Hannah Spearritt, Bradley McIntosh, Rachel Stevens and Jo O’Meara back in 2003 for the BBC Three series Liquid News. Claudia asked the four members who were present about money and the group appeared deeply uncomfortable.
She said to the group: “Let’s talk cash… please don’t look at me like you are angry.” She then mentioned that Simon Fuller, the man behind the group, had “90 million” in the bank, referring to reports at the time, and added: “There are rumours that you guys are grumpy because you guys haven’t made mint.”
Jon Lee said “no,” while the others tried to deflect the question, but Claudia continued, asking: “Are you not grumpy about it at all?” Singer Jo O’Meara replied: “I think we are all really really lucky to be where we are today at our age and have the bank balances that we do have.”
However, before the interview could continue further, S Club 7’s publicist stormed onto the set and demanded the chat was halted. “Can you not ask this question please… I’m not having it,” she told Claudia, and then said: “I’ve tried to stop this and I’ve had to walk in here … we are going.”
Claudia can be heard protesting, telling the publicist that she had not been told there were any questions that could not be asked, as the band get up to leave the studio.
While she is best known for her presenting roles on Strictly Come Dancing and The Traitors, 53 year old Claudia began her career in television in the early 1990s on shows including Holiday, the dating series God’s Gift and children’s Saturday morning show Tricky. She presented Liquid News from 2002 to 2004, and became a familiar face on the BBC for Fame Academy, before taking on hosting duties for the Strictly Come Dancing spin-off series It Takes Two.
She has been Tess Daly’s co-host on Strictly since Sir Bruce Forsyth retired in 2014, and she also previously worked on The Great British Sewing Bee, and the BBC’s Film programme. Over the years, Claudia has become known for her sleek haircut, featuring a long fringe, that has become so iconic that London mayoral candidate Count Binface mentioned it in his manifesto when he ran for office in 2024, declaring it should be Grade 1 listed, and thus preserved for being “of exceptional interest” to the nation.
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