Her quirky and cool style has made Claudia Winkleman a favourite amongst British women - which makes her recent revelation about her childhood all the more surprising. The Strictly Come Dancing host admitted this week that her mum, Eve Pollard, banned all mirrors from the house when she was growing up.
Speaking at the In Conversation with Standard Issue event in London, Claudia, 44, said former newspaper editor Eve was determined that her daughter should be reliant on her brain, rather than her looks.
Claudia Winkleman pictured with her mum Eve Pollard
She told the audience: "I was brought up by the strongest and most brilliant woman I've ever come across - my mum.
"She was strong and fantastic and taught me everything I needed to know in being female. We weren't allowed any mirrors in the house, which would explain how I do my makeup... and the fact I look like I've slept in a skip.
"I was 15 going out saying, 'Mum, I need to know how I look, give me an idea!' She'd say, 'fine'; she wanted to teach us that appearance is a waste of time, it's not in the least bit important. Read books, be funny, be clever, be chatty, this is how you make an omelette.... She was, and still is, my role model."
Strictly star Claudia is known for her distinctive style
Now, of course, Claudia is known for her very distinctive look – a heavy fringe, dark eyeliner and pale lipstick. Asked about her style in 2015, she admitted: "I have never knowingly taken makeup off. This eyeliner is the same stuff from the 80s, just reapplied over and over. Looking part panda and like I'm wearing Tippex on my life is all I am interested in!"
