BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Claudia Winkleman suffers horrific 'flashbacks' after 'life-changing' moment

The much-loved TV presenter said the flashbacks 'come at you like a bull' after a terrifying incident with her daughter

Claudia Winkleman has spoken after suffering horrific 'flashbacks' after a 'life-changing' and traumatic moment with her daughter. The Strictly Come Dancing host was devastated after her daughter Matilda's Halloween costume caught on fire, leaving her with severe burns.

Claudia, 52, previously spoke about how Matilda, who is now 18, was wearing a witch costume when she went up in flames after accidentally brushing against a candle when she was eight years old. Reliving the nightmare in an interview with Best magazine, Claudia recounted how quickly the situation escalated: "She 'went up' is the only way I can describe it it was a spark and she screamed out for me.

"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."

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Claudia, a mother of three, also described the sheer panic of the moment: "I was talking to someone and then I heard her shout and she was on fire. It feels like she was on fire for hours, but the surgeon said it was probably just seconds."

Matilda had to endure a three-week hospital stay due to severe burns on her legs, while the family's neighbour Jamie Poulton suffered second-degree burns as he bravely attempted to extinguish the flames using his hands. Speaking to the Daily Mail about the horrific event, Jamie explained the dangerous nature of the costume's material: "This material just keeps reigniting and re-burning. And it is sticky, so it melts on the skin. It doesn't cinder. It remains hot. It was horrific to be honest. I was trying to put it out with my hand.

"It was a warm night so I wasn't wearing a jacket. I was trying to roll her and pat her clothes. I was trying to rip the costume off her, which didn't really help because it just ripped and dropped back. It is very bad material. That stuff is terrible. The costumes are very, very cheap to buy. They are nylon and they just go up."

The beloved BBC host has openly discussed how the incident severely affected her wellbeing. Chatting on the How Did We Get Here? podcast with psychologist Professor Tanya Byron, she admitted: "You helped me with flashbacks. I had flashbacks of when my daughter had an accident and they come at you like a bull.

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

Claudia began campaigning for better safety standards in Halloween costumes' materials following the terrifying incident. Her efforts were instrumental in pushing the British Royal Consortium to adopt voluntary guidelines that now mandate toys, which include children's costumes, are be made from materials that won't burn faster than 10mm per second, remarkably down from the previous 30mm per second standard.