Claudia

BBC

Celebrities and civilians won’t mix

Claudia Schiffer plays Carol, a single mother and the love interest for Liam Neeson’s character, widower Daniel, after he mentions she is his dream woman throughout the film

She might only have appeared on screen for 60 seconds but Claudia Schiffer was reportedly paid a truly blockbuster sum of money for her brief cameo in Love Actually. The supermodel plays the role of Carol who is a single mother and the love interest for Liam Neeson’s character, widower Daniel.

This comes after he mentions her as his dream woman throughout the entirety of the film is Claudia Schiffer. It has been reported that the star received quite the pay cheque despite only appearing for about a minute in total. Her appearance came back in 2003 and she is said have been paid around £275,000, or £4,500 ($6,100) per second for the job.

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Vogue reported that Andrew Holmes’s book How Much?!: The $1000 Omelette… and 1100 Other Astonishing Money Moments revealed the impressive amount. Now, 22 years on from when the movie was filmed, the pay cheque would be the equivalent of £458,000 ($616,000) or £7,633 ($10,274) per second.

Claudia’s short scene in the film comes after Daniel’s son, Sam (played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster), finishes playing the drums in his school play in a bid to impress his classmate Joanna.

Daniel then meets Sam backstage to congratulate him on her performance when Sam says that his plan to win his classmate over hasn’t worked and she was on her way to the airport to go back to the US.

However, this doesn’t stop them as they then make their way to the car to drive to the airport. But as Daniel turns around, he bumps into a school mum, Carol, who is played by Claudia.

Carol apologises as Daniel explained that it was his fault. Carol then goes on to ask if Daniel was Sam’s dad as he then confirms and the pair shake hands.

Daniel confessed that he hopes that they will meet again as Carol replies “I’ll make sure we do”. Claudia recently opened up about her personal life as she said her focus changed after she married Matthew Vaughn and they had their three children, Casper, now 22, Clementine, 21, and Cosima, 15.

She said she found that she became less “competitive” and that she is content with what she has achieved in her life despite knowing she could book more jobs if she wished.

The supermodel recently spoke to HELLO! magazine where she opened up about her career as well as her family life. She said: “When I was in my 20s, travelling around the world, my focus was on my career – working hard, being competitive and getting to the top.

“That changed when I had kids, and now, I feel lucky to have such a wonderful family. I’m proud of my children, they’re very down to earth and their well-being is mine and my husband’s priority.”

The Mirror has contacted Claudia’s reps for comment

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A SUPERMODEL was reportedly paid an astonishing amount to appear in one of the world’s most famous Christmas films.

Claudia Schiffer appears in the perennial festive favourite Love Actually for one minute  – and earned the equivalent of the average UK salary in just EIGHT seconds.

Richard Curtis, the film’s director, cast the supermodel in brief – but memorable – scenes alongside Liam Neeson’s character Daniel.

On several occasions in the 2003 film, Daniel, recently widowed, tells his love-sick step-son, Sam, played by Thomas Brodie Sangster, that the path of true love rarely runs smooth.

Daniel tells Sam that he need only look to his step-dad for proof after telling him several times he wants to date supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

The pay-off in the film – when it finally arrives – works a treat.

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In one memorable scene, Daniel hits it off with one of Sam’s classmates – played by the supermodel.

The pair then appear on screen loved-up near the end of the film.

Although her appearance is brief, her paycheck for the role in the film proves it was well worth turning up.

As reported by Vogue, in his book ‘How Much?!: The $1000 Omelette … and 1100 Other Astonishing Money Moments’, author Andrew Holmes revealed Schiffer was paid $350,000 for the role.

That works out at £275,000 for the entire screen time – or £4,500 per second.

In contrast, two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson, who plays Alan Rickman’s long-suffering wife Karen in the film, has stated she felt she was underpaid for her role.

Thompson’s fee has not been disclosed.

While on Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Tutti Frutti actress said she no longer rewatches Love Actually,

To celebrate her last show with Strictly Come Dancing, the cast surprised host Claudia Winkleman with a touching tribute that left her screaming as she struggled to open the final vote

Claudia Winkleman was left screaming after she was surprised with a touching tribute from the Strictly Come Dancing cast. As she informed audiences that the final vote of the season was open, she was shocked to see several dancers had donned replicas of the blazer she was wearing and wigs that looked exactly like her hair.

The host, who announced in September that she would be leaving the show after over a decade, screamed “No way!” when she noticed that not only had the dancers dressed up like her, but notoriously grumpy judge Craig Revel Horwood had as well. He remained stony faced as he stared at the camera from behind the fringe, but Claudia still reacted with utter joy.

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Claudia kept covering her mouth, laughing and screaming as she realised what was going on. It was the most emotional she had been about her exit so far, as Claudia and Tess Daly, who is also leaving the show, both seemed to choose not to address their exit at the start of the show and instead focus on the dancers.

But this did not stop Claudia from making a statement with her final show. She herself had made a tribute to prior host of the show during the series by wearing a blazer with the words “Keep dancing” written on the back.

The words were the catchphrase of original host Bruce Forsyth. Claudia took over as a primary host for Bruce in 2014, co-hosting with Tess when he stepped down.

Elsewhere in the show, Claudia pretended she and Tess had decided to do a showdance. Though this was not an explicit joke about them leaving, when Tess turned down the opportunity to dance, Claudia jokingly said to the male dancers that had accompanied her to the dancefloor: “Apparently tonight is all about the finalists.”

It came as a surprise to many when Tess and Claudia announced that they would be stepping down from the show after over ten years on it. The pair made the announcement via Instagram.

In a joint statement, they said: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.

“We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show.”

Taking to Instagram again, Tess and Claudia made a low-key goodbye to the show via another post. In this one, they shared a series of images from backstage, including one that showed off Claudia’s blazer. They captioned the post: “You better believe we’re gonna keep dancing.”

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Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are leaving Strictly Come Dancing the 2025 series draws to a close

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s “true feelings: about leaving Strictly Come Dancing might have been uncovered.

The beloved hosting duo shocked fans back in October when they announced that they would be stepping down from the programme at the end of the current series.

They have fronted the BBC programme together since 2014, with Claudia replacing Sir Bruce Forsyth, who presented the original series with Tess from 2004.

Tess previously took to Instagram to share a statement, and was showered in support from fans and friends alike. She wrote: “After 21 unforgettable years, the time has come to say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing.”

The star added: “This isn’t a goodbye to glitter, sequins, or Saturday night sparkle (I could never say goodbye to those!). Strictly will forever hold a special place in my heart – but it does feel like the right time to hand over the reins.”

Tess and Claudia will present their last live show tonight (Saturday, December 20), as Strictly returns to screens for this year’s grand final. The pair will then appear on the show’s festive special on Christmas Day, where they will take part in a memorable performance.

Now, a body language expert has examined Tess and Claudia’s recent TV appearances and pointed to subtle gestures that hint at unease behind the scenes.

Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, Darren Stanton explained that the pair’s body language suggests that they are nervous ahead of their Strictly exit.

“What stands out for me when I watch Tess and Claudia discuss their departure in interviews is how their posture, voices, and micro-expressions always soften more than usual. It’s clear they are masking a good deal of emotion beneath a very controlled surface. From a body-language perspective, it doesn’t read like a light or casual decision,” he said.

“There are clear signs of nerves from both of them about the future, visible in subtle cues such as lip biting, the way they look at each other, and how they turn toward one another when discussing their departure, almost as if they are operating as a single unit.

“It doesn’t seem to be apprehension about the future itself, but about the difficulty of leaving something familiar.

“Tess, who has been part of the show for a long time, shows small gestures and micro expressions of nerves, like wringing her hands. Claudia shows similar gestures, proving that they both feel the impact of leaving the show.”

Since the announcement of Tess and Claudia’s exits, speculation has been swirling over who could step into their shoes, with Zoe Ball, Janette Manrara, Fleur East and Rylan Clark all in the running.

Tonight, Karen Carney, Amber Davies and George Clarke will battle it out for the chance to lift this year’s Glitterball Trophy. They will each perform three dances in the hopes of impressing the judges and voting public. These include a Showdance, Judges’ Choice, and their favourite routine from the series.

Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer