Claudia Winkleman's heartbreaking reason for not wearing Halloween costume on Strictly Come Dancing

Claudia Winkleman opted out of Halloween dress-up on Strictly Come Dancing last year, a decision rooted in a past family tragedy that haunts her to this day.

During the 2023 Halloween-themed episode of the hit dance show, Winkleman stood out in simple black attire while her co-stars sported their festive costumes. The reason dates back to a life-altering event in 2014 when her daughter Matilda's severe burn accident while trick or treating, which occurred when the child's costume ignited after brushing against a candle.

Matilda sustained significant burns on her legs and, during the incident, and their neighbour Jamie Poulton also suffered second-degree burns trying to extinguish the fire. This disaster led Claudia to temporarily withdraw from her presenting role on Strictly as her family dealt with the aftermath.

Claudia avoids celebrating Halloween since then due to its distressing associations.

Claudia shared details of Matilda's accident to The Mail, stating: "I don't like Halloween because [a few] years ago it turned out our screams were real. She 'went up' is the only way I can describe it - it was a spark, and she screamed out for me," reports the Mirror.

Recalling the frightening event, she added: "It was like those horrific birthday candles that you blow out and they come back. It was really fast. It was definitely life-changing for me."

Claudia was so profoundly affected by her daughter's accident that she turned to her close friend and child psychologist Tanya Byron for support. Discussing the incident on their podcast How Did We Get Here?, Claudia revealed: "You helped me with flashbacks. I had flashbacks of when my daughter had an accident and they come at you like a bull."

She added: "Like a tsunami, it's so enormous you think you're going to drown. So you have to shove it to one side."

Jamie, Claudia's neighbour, gave a chilling account of the fire accident saying: "It was like a potential horror film in front of me. This material just keeps reigniting and re-burning. And it is sticky, so it melts on the skin. It was horrific."

Since then, Claudia has successfully campaigned to improve safety standards for children's fancy dress costumes. The British Retail Consortium has adopted new voluntary guidelines which state that fabrics used in such costumes, categorised as toys, should have a maximum burn rate of 10mm per second, a substantial improvement on the previous regulation allowing for a burn rate of 30mm per second.

Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer