Following shock news that she has stepped down from one of the BBC’s biggest shows, insiders reveal the personal drama that made Claudia Winkleman walk away
She left fans reeling after announcing her shock departure from her Radio 2show last week, 15 years after Claudia Winkleman joined the station.
Telling listeners that comedian Romesh Ranganathan would be taking over from her next March, Claudia –who first joined Radio 2to present comedy quiz Hot Gossip in 2008 before taking the helm of the Saturday morning show in 2021 –shared a heartfelt reason for stepping down.
DIFFICULT DECISION
She said, “Time is going too fast, my daughter is getting ready to leave home and she was three about five minutes ago.
“I still have a little one who wants to be with me, but don’t know how long that will last, and I just need to be at home more.”
And a source tells Closer that while the decision to leave a role she loved was difficult, the mum-of-three, 51 –who has been married to film producer and former PR guru Kris Thykier since 2000 –has been feeling torn between her professional and personal lives for some time.
The insider says, “Claudia has thought long and hard about this decision as she absolutely loved doing Radio 2, but she realised something had to give –she felt she wasn’t able to give her best at home or at work.
“She’s also well aware that her kids are growing up so quickly and with Matilda hoping to go to uni next year, she just wants to spend as much time as possible at home.
“Arthur is still only 11, but Claudia knows it won’t be long before he no longer wants to hang out with his parents. There’s no chance of any more babies so she wants to make the most of this time.”
While Claudia’s children –Jake, 20, Matilda, 17, and Arthur, 11 –are mostly kept out of the limelight, Matilda made headline news in 2014 when, aged eight, she suffered horrific burns when her Halloween dress caught fire while trick-or-treating.
Claudia has
