Series 37 is in full swing, and in tonight’s episode (May 17), available on ITV2 and ITVX, tensions within Girl Band reached boiling point. Meanwhile, one cast member has revealed where things stand romantically following a tender moment that caught everyone’s attention.
TOWIE’s Dani has addressed her relationship status and the situation with newcomer Jonnie Gurie after the pair were spotted getting cosy during the cast’s Vietnam getaway.
In tonight’s episode, now streaming on ITVX, Harry quizzed Jonnie directly: “I want to ask a question Jonnie. On the last night I seen you basically spooning Dani on the sofa,” reports OK!.
Jonnie responded: “Listen, I think um, I said this on the last day when we was with Elma and Dani, I don’t even know how it happened, we just got comfortable with each other we spent more time with each other.”
He continued: “There was one night, we had a kiss but we’ve not really spoke about that what’s going on since we’ve been back. It’s just been chill, I said I don’t want to put pressure on anything that’s going on.”
Diags couldn’t resist chiming in with a quip: “He’s got a little Dan Edgar script.” Later on, viewers saw Dani and Ella head to the beach for what Ella described as some much-needed “scream therapy”. Letting out their pent-up frustrations, Dani yelled: “I hate that I’m a cougar, release me from being a cougar.”
She continued: “I hate it here.. keep Jonnie away from me please.” Turning to Ella, she admitted: “I feel better, I’m still a cougar though it’s not changed anything.”
When quizzed about how things stood between them, Dani confessed: “I’m such a cougar, I think I’ve been hanging around Elma for too long because why am I flirting with young boys 24/7. It’s just still like quite light hearted, it’s just a flirt but I don’t think it’s anything, it’s not anything…”
Ella probed: “Are you sure” to which Dani responded: “Yeah.”
Off-screen, it seems TOWIE enthusiasts are backing the potential pairing, as an exclusive snippet was posted on The Only Way is Essex’s social media featuring Dani discussing matters on the You Alright, Hun? Podcast.
The post, shared this week, was captioned: “Fancy an exclusive? Dani gives us the gossip on where things are with Jonnie on the ‘You Alright, Hun?’ #TOWIE podcast! Listen/Watch on ITVX, Spotify and YouTube“, with Dani being questioned about her relationship status with Jonnie.
She revealed: “I think now we’re off, but that’s only for now. We’re back in contact a little bit, we haven’t seen each other and like we’ve had conversations.
“We know we miss each other but we’re not sure where it’s going to go, so I feel like there’s a lot of conversations to be had. That’s the exclusive, we’re in contact again and we wasn’t so that’s a step in the right direction.
“We’re in contact, we’re talking. But I haven’t seen him in four weeks so I can’t really say we’re back on.”
One admirer responded: “I hope they get together, love Danni she cracks me up.”
PARIS Fury has revealed why Tommy Fury wasn’t at Venezuela’s wedding after his pregnant fiancée Molly-Mae Hague flew to the venue by private jet.
The proud mother-of-the-bride showered Molly, 26, with praise for going above and beyond to make it to Venezuela’s big day, while Tommy was nowhere to be seen.
Paris Fury said she was very impressed by Molly, who travelled by private jet to the weddingCredit: SplashBambi was one of Venezuela’s bridesmaids for the big dayCredit: Splash
Molly, who is heavily pregnant with her second child, was seen stepping onto the runway with her daughter Bambi, 3, and sister Zoe Rae.
The extravagant soiree is taking place at The Comis Hotel and Resort on the outskirts of Douglas, Isle of Man.
In awe of Molly, Paris told The Sun: “She is incredible. She is being fully supportive, and she is bringing Bambi over, so that Bambi could be a bridesmaid with the kids.
“But I have got to throw her props. She is making that journey while heavily pregnant and I wouldn’t have been able to face that while I was at her term of pregnancy.
Venezuela said ‘I do’ to her husband Noah Price, on the Isle of ManCredit: PP.Molly-Mae’s fiancé, Tommy Fury wasn’t able to join the wedding celebrationsCredit: Splash
“It’s very good,” Paris added.
Molly’s fiancé, Tommy, 27, Tyson’s younger brother, wasn’t able to join in the festivities.
Tommy, who Molly met on the reality TV hit in 2019, had to stay in Manchester for his boxing training camp.
She says: “I’m very glad that they are coming. It means a lot. It’s a big journey for anyone to come from home to here.
Venezuela with husband Noah Price, in a custom-made bridal gownCredit: PP.Molly-Mae and Tommy are expecting their second babyCredit: mollymae/Instagram
“It’s lovely that they are making the effort. It’s lovely that Bambi and the other little girls all get to be bridesmaids. They are all cousins and it’s sweet that they‘ll make memories together.”
Bambi is one of 13 of the child bridesmaids, including Venezuela’s little sisters Valencia, eight, and Athena, including four of Noah’s cousins, and family members, as well as five grown up bridesmaids.
Venezuela revealed: “I chose powder blue cupcake dresses for the little ones, they’re really cute, and fitted gowns for my friends.”
Paris said: “Evangeline Designs in Liverpool made the bridesmaid dresses and every day there it was like, ‘There’s a new little dress, there’s a new dress there’s a new dress, because we ended up having a few extra little bridesmaids’.
“They’re wearing flowers in their hair.”
Paris revealed: “We found £120 shoes for the little ones, and the only shoes we found in the right shade of blue for the women were stunning shoes that were £13 from Shein.”
Paris stored all the wedding party outfits in a specially allocated wedding room in the basement of their home.
Paris and Venezuela thoughtfully put together goodie bags, which included diamante Primark flip flops, matching pyjamas, a hairbrush, sweets, Doll beauty make up and a “little dolly” for each of the younger bridesmaids.
And it wasn’t just the women who dazzled on Venezuela’s big day. The men were looking just as dapper.
“The men are in black tuxedos, Tyson too and Noah is in an ivory tuxedo. Noah picked it,” Paris said.
“Collecting everything wasn’t easy. I felt like I was doing circles on ferries with carloads.”
WHEN pop superstar Justin Timberlake started dating actress Jessica Biel, they quickly became Hollywood’s hottest couple.
But now, after 14 years of marriage, their relationship is going through a positively chilly phase. For long-suffering Jessica, 44, has drawn a line in the sand following a relentless string of public embarrassments, serving her husband with a brutal ultimatum to clean up his act, or she is out.
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake have been married for 14 years after tying the knot in Italy in 2012Credit: GettyJustin’s mugshot following his 2024 drink-driving arrestCredit: Rex
From the humiliating release of bodycam footage showing Justin’s June 2024 drink-driving arrest to fresh whispers of intoxicated antics at a Las Vegas golf tournament just weeks ago, the Cry Me A River singer’s fall from grace has pushed his wife to the edge, according to reports.
But the drama doesn’t stop there. Insiders tell The Sun that Justin pulled the plug on a $100 million NSYNC reunion, in a last stand bid to save his marriage.
Behind closed doors, those who work closely with the couple say Jessica has been the “glue” holding the family together.
A well-placed Los Angeles producer, who has worked closely with Jessica, tells The Sun that the actress’s marriage can sometimes be a far cry from the fairytale Justin sold the world in the 2010s.
Justin was pictured in 2019 getting close with co-star Alisha Wainwright, later apologising publiclyCredit: BD1Jessica continued to work on her drama The Better Sister despite Justin Timberlake’s arrestCredit: Splash
The insider says: “Jessica is a superwoman. For the last decade, she has run the home, carried and raised two boys, continued acting and enjoyed success with a production company in Hollywood. Where she has found the time and energy to balance is staggering. She has been the glue.”
The couple’s permanent relocation to the luxury Yellowstone Club in Montana was Jessica’s way to shield their sons, Silas, 11, and Phineas, 5, from the downsides of fame.
“She took huge pride in being a hands-on mother, ensuring that her kids would be raised in the most normal way and not be impacted by LA life or Hollywood temptations and dramas,” the insider explains.
“Her boys are the most important thing in her life, and she will do her utmost to protect them. That would have absolutely been made clear to Justin.”
The couple share two sons, Silas, 11, and Phineas, 5Credit: GettyIndustry figures were shocked when Justin didn’t walk the red carpet to support Jessica during the awards seasonCredit: Instagram/ Jessica Biel
But while Jessica thrives in the tranquillity of the mountains, Justin remains obsessed with the spotlight.
His gruelling Forget Tomorrow world tour, which finally wrapped last summer after more than 100 gigs, kept him away from home for massive chunks of time and put a strain on their marriage.
Our source adds: “When the lights go out, Jessica is still a devoted, hard-working mum wanting to do the best for her kids.
“Justin is committed, but is also balancing this battle to remain a pop star and entertainer. In today’s world, if you disappear for too long, you become forgotten or irrelevant. That is something Justin would never let happen.”
This desperate need for validation, however, has come at a steep personal cost.
Jessica’s own career has been flying high. She poured her heart into her production company, Iron Ocean Productions, and her acclaimed 2025 series The Better Sister earned her a prestigious 2026 Critics’ Choice Award nomination for Best Actress.
Yet, when her big moment arrived in January, her husband was absent from the red carpet.
“Many industry figures were shocked that Justin didn’t walk the carpet to support her,” the producer notes.
“She had been there for him over the previous seven months. Regardless of his recent scandals, it would have been a great public display of unity.”
Justin’s erratic decision making hasn’t just alienated his wife; he has also managed to infuriate his oldest friends.
The Sun can reveal that the singer recently blew a chance to catapult himself back centre stage by walking away from an epic NSYNC 30th anniversary reunion.
The highly lucrative comeback – which included proposals for a live comeback show, a lucrative Las Vegas residency, and a documentary – could have netted the five bandmates a staggering $100 million.
A top music executive, who was intimately involved in the proposals, claimed Justin’s refusal to commit has caused bitter “disdain and disappointment” among his former bandmates.
They said: “Justin let the boys down, and really killed the chance for a special 30th anniversary adventure. The other boys were the driving forces with everyone on board initially… well, that is what they believed.”
“Pinning down Justin just could not be done. It wasn’t so much that he was saying outright no, but more just not committing. There was a real hope for something momentous and exciting to play out, which could have really put them back to the top of the music world again.”
The insider notes that the bond between the five men, who were once like brothers, has been severely damaged.
“Those five men have been friends through many highs and lows. But this took something away from that bond. Publicly, of course, they will always support Justin, but this was really seen as a wasted chance to make magic happen.”
But those close to Justin say that walking away from the NSYNC reunion was an attempt to rebalance his work with his family life and repair his relationship with his wife.
Justin’s reluctance to embark on a massive boyband tour was also undoubtedly influenced by his latest health battle.
Last summer, the singer revealed he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease, a debilitating bacterial infection that wreaked havoc on him both mentally and physically.
Jessica, ever the dutiful wife, stepped up to the plate.
Our source says: “Last summer Jessica really urged her husband to slow down, recover fully and seek the best medical advice. There was a huge sense that Justin really had a tough time on the road doing the dance moves and powering through so many shows with his medical issues.”
“Jessica was really kind, caring, and sympathetic. Justin’s mood and outlook was hit quite hard at the diagnosis. The reality is that his entire future as a performer is potentially on the line given how debilitating Lyme disease can be.”
Even the music executive admitted that the health crisis “must have played a key factor in him stepping back” from the NSYNC tour, though they noted that “there were projects like a doc film which would not have needed him to dance or perform”.
Despite her immense sympathy for his health struggles, Jessica’s patience with Justin’s headline-grabbing antics is running dry.
It’s not the first time he has embarrassed his wife. In 2019, The Sun revealed pictures of him drinking and holding hands with his Palmer co-star Alisha Wainwright.
Justin was forced to admit he had been drinking alcohol during the encounter, describing it as a “strong lapse of judgement” but insisted “nothing happened”.
He also added a grovelling apology to his family, writing: “I drank way too much that night and regret my behaviour. I should have known better. This is not the example I want to set for my son.”
“I apologise to my amazing wife and family for putting them through such an embarrassing situation, and I am focused on being the best husband and father I can be.”
Then in 2024, Justin was arrested for drink-driving. The police bodycam footage was released earlier this year, and shows the slurring singer complaining to cops that they were ruining his “world tour”.
Jessica distracted from the embarrassing footage and posted a loved-up snap with her husband on February 1st, captioning it: “Happy 45th to a true original. I love you baby.”
But then last week on April 18 eyewitness reports say that Justin once-again appeared intoxicated at a golf tournament in Las Vegas.
Since then, Page Six reported Jessica was ready to “pull the trigger” on the marriages, with an insider adding: “There’s not much more she can take.”
Now with an ultimatum on the table it appears Jessica is officially done playing the doting wife.
Our source said: “Knowing what a straight shooter she is, there is no way she would hold back on telling her husband exactly how she feels.”
If Justin doesn’t clean up his act, it could be Jessica saying “Bye Bye Bye” to their marriage once and for all.
Jessica and Justin’s representatives were contacted for comment.
AN eye-watering amount of cash is stuffed into suitcases, with Katie Price’s husband Lee Andrews’ name printed onto a label stuck on top of the thousands upon thousands of $100 bank notes.
But rather than a show of his apparent wealth, today The Sun can reveal Lee’s boastful videos share the hallmarks of high-level scams – with his ex-fiancee Alana Percival warning that his time evading the heavy hand of the law may be running out.
Katie Price and Lee Andrews said I do in a surprise wedding just days after the former glamour model announced her ninth engagement.Credit: BackGridLee’s ex-fiance Alana Percival has warned that that his time evading the law is running outCredit: Click News and Media
Former glamour model Katie, 48, flew back to Dubai over the weekend to join Andrews, 41, in the country at a £36million mansion which he claims he bought in cash.
The shameless brag, like most that come from his lips, is not true and the London football club have had no dealings with Andrews.
No doubt, like many women, Katie may have seen the suitcases stuffed to the brim with what appears to be millions of pounds in cash.
His alleged vast fortune is, he claims, from complex deals with foreign embassies and treasuries that he’s spent the past nine years developing.
Sharing the two videos with The Sun to prove his “wealth”, Lee alleges he ships the cash to Africa for institutional investment.
However, our analysis found that the clips are almost identical to the dubious proof-of-funds videos often used by fraudsters to convince people they have large sums of money.
In one video, Lee’s name is written on a sheet of A4 paper along with the date, while the man filming references a fictitious code that The Sun has discovered does not exist in the real world banking system.
The wads of $100 notes are bound by plain bands labelled “BEP” (Bureau of Engraving and Printing).
To the untrained eye, it would seem Lee is sitting on a fortune.
But those BEP labelled bands are most commonly found on film sets, binding together fake wads of cash seen in blockbuster movies.
Authentic BEP bands include the institution’s name, a routing number, and a branch ID.
Andrews’s bands include none of those.
The videos are known as “Black Money Scams” – and are often seen in fraud cases.
Metal briefcases, locked with padlocks, labelled “FRAGILE – HANDLE WITH CARE” — are designed to look like a secure, official shipment of cash.
Stacks of $100 bills are then laid out in an open case with a note to make it look personalised and real.
In fact, where these scams exist it’s all faked – the money is not real.
Andrews’ former fiancee Alana has warned the net may be closing in on him and claimed last week that a warrant was out for his arrest in Dubai.
And now those close to Katie tell The Sun they hope she can finally start to see what is happening.
“Alana is saying a warrant is out for Lee’s arrest in Dubai, he still appears to be taking money off women, but Katie still can’t see what he’s doing,” a friend tells The Sun.
“It’s exasperating. Those around her think Lee is bad news.
“The brags about his wealth, the videos of the fake cash, the claims he’s bought a £36million mansion in cash – it’s all laughable.
“Kate is usually shrewd but when it comes to matters of love, she thinks with her heart and not with her brain.
The video shows wads of cash in a suitcase and is designed to flaunt wealthCredit: The SunKatie reunited with Andrews in Dubai at the weekendCredit: wesleeandrews/Instagram
“It is painful for her friends and family watching her consort with this man.”
Alongside the videos supposedly proving his income stream, Andrews also provided three documents.
One of these is a payment guarantee letter for a $100m transaction, the first payment of a proposed $5bn.
It is signed by Mr Sikakaew, allegedly from the Thai bank Kasikorn, who holds a “Supreme SSID License”—a term not recognised in banking, as SSID is actually a name for a Wi-Fi network.
In the document, a scanned image of Lee’s passport appears to have been digitally manipulated and features glaring mistakes such as an upside-down photo and backward font.
A second document is a Memorandum of Understanding, which is a non-legally binding statement of intent to work with another party.
It mentions a “UN license for a mixed currencies redemption program”, something that also does not exist.
The letter, which outlines the transfer of $5bn to the Royal Thai Embassy in Kenya, is signed by American Joseph John Garrity, with no record of such a person being involved in high-level international finance.
The third document is a Capital Readiness Program prepared for Lee by Hachi Capital LLC — a business with no legitimate record.
A similarly named UK company called Hachi Capital Ltd was dissolved in 2013 and coincidentally featured Craig Boddington as director, the same name managing Lee’s account.
The program promises financial returns well beyond any realistic measure, claiming a 500 per cent return on investment per monthly cycle and as much as 100 per cent per 10-day cycle on “bullet trades”.
Further red flags include the business not being licensed or regulated by any major financial authority and has hallmarks of investment scams with six-figure set up fees designed to get clients to part with cash before realising any profits.
A number of women have spoken to The Sun after falling for such Andrews’ investment promises.
Crystal Janke claimed she lost £123k in investmentsCredit: InstagramAndrews claims he ships vast amounts of money to AfricaCredit: The Sun
The money has since disappeared, with Crystal filing a police complaint in the US.
Andrews denies the claims but Crystal to date is still insistent she’s not had a penny, after sharing with The Sun her bank statements which prove the transactions into Andrews’ account.
Earlier this year The Sun revealed that his company, Aura Worldwide Holdings Ltd, was actually dissolved in 2024.
But Andrews is still claiming it is open, despite paperwork proving otherwise, and is pushing his schemes upon women he meets on social media and women he knows through business.
Last month, another woman came forward to tell The Sun she had invested $1,000 but still had no return.
When she confronted Andrews, she claims he fobbed her off and made excuses about the whereabouts of her funds.
A friend of Katie’s told The Sun: “Why Katie cannot see what is going on under her nose is scary.
“None of this is legitimate and everyone is just praying for the moment the penny finally drops and she gets the hell out of this marriage.”
Andrews previously denied all the allegations brought against him by The Sun.
He later claimed his inflated LinkedIn CV was the result of errors by his former assistant and swiftly removed some of his false work history.
Among them was that he was a Member of the Board of Advisors for the Labour Party and Director of Philanthropy at The King’s Trust.
He said: “I think that’s been hyped up and made to look better than what it is and it needs to come down.
“I can’t take the showmanship of it, but I’ll take the accountability.
“The PA no longer works for me now anyway, for other reasons — probably because of that.”
He told us: “People don’t know I’ve met Harvey and two of the kids, I haven’t seen the young ones.
“I’ve been back and forth, I just don’t f***ing tell anyone. I lead a very private life. I tell people what they want to hear, the rest they can make up, you know.”
A representative for Katie later told The Sun this claim was a lie and that Andrews had never met her children.
Katie was warned over new husband by two of his exes who claim he is lying swindler who preys on womenCredit: InstagramLee’s ex Crystal Janke invested into his company Aura Worldwide Holdings LtdAlana Percival was previously engaged to Lee Andrews
Emmerdale’s Moira Dingle actress Natalie J Robb has hinted her character could take a deadly revenge on evil Joe Tate in a gun showdown, and she ‘could kill him’
Emmerdale’s Moira Dingle actress Natalie J Robb has hinted her character could take a deadly revenge on evil Joe Tate(Image: ITV)
There’s dramatic scenes on the way on Emmerdale as Joe Tate is finally rumbled by Moira Dingle.
Robert Sugden confesses his part in Moira being arrested over Celia Daniels’ drugs and human trafficking crimes. When he explains what really happened, Moira finds out Joe was blackmailing him and Victoria Sugden.
But she’s left even more rage-filled when she realises Joe is a huge part of the reason she’s been in prison over a double murder she did not commit. Preparing to take revenge, it all leads to a gun showdown at Home Farm.
Will Moira end up in prison again though if she takes a deadly revenge on Joe? Actress Natalie J Robb has revealed what fans can expect from the moment, and what the future holds for Joe…
Robert tells Moira the truth about planting the documents. How does she react?
Robert starts to feel guilty because he finds out that it’s Moira’s birthday and everybody has kind of forgotten about it. She says that it doesn’t matter and then he gets really guilty about it.
Moira starts to get a little bit suspicious and thinks: ‘What’s going on here? This is odd’. He gives her some pictures that Holly did, and things like that, which he found in the attic.
And then he just says something and she says: ‘How did you know about that?’ Because he wouldn’t have known where the documents were hidden. Then of course she gets it out of him and he confesses that it was him and she goes ballistic.
She’s really hurt actually, because she doesn’t expect that of him. She actually thought he’d turned a corner and changed as a person. Then he admits that it was down to Joe Tate – that he forced him – and why he had to protect Victoria and it was down to Joe Tate.
Moira plots revenge doesn’t she…
I’m fuming then, so I go back to the house to tell Cain but he’s having a bit of an argument with Sam. He’s just not in the mood so I think, good old Moira style, she gets her shotgun and goes to visit Joe Tate.
And literally at that point, she’s going round there to kill him. She has the shotgun, she makes him sit down and try to confess. He’s trying to play dumb but she knows it’s down to him.
Then more people get involved. Obviously she doesn’t kill him. But she swears to him at this point that she will make it her priority to make his life a living hell. Or a non-living one…
Why does she decide not to tell Cain about Robert?
She thinks if he finds out, he’s going to go ballistic and do something stupid. She’s just got out of prison, the last thing she wants is for him to go to prison.
But that’s going to eat him up because he knows what she’s been doing for Robert as well. And the fact that he’s in my farm, it’s just a hard pill to swallow. But I’m trying to prevent something terrible happening and protect the marriage as well, because we’re dealing with something that’s a lot bigger than money.
When she has the shotgun, does it not enter her head that she might end up back in prison?
I don’t think she cares at that point. In that split second, she’s so angry because he’s [Cain] had to deal with the cancer on his own. He’s [Joe] kept me away from my children and she thinks: ‘Really? Are you really that horrible and that cruel? Are you really that greedy? It’s all about power’.
It’s a bit like the world we’re living in now, all about power and it’s not actually about being humane to people. And at that point she’s definitely going there to kill him and she nearly does.
Can you tease what’s to come for Joe?
Well I think he’s going to be under her radar, it might just be quietly. He might try to worm her round. But we don’t know how that’s going to pan out with the writing and which route they’re going to go.
But when I was filming the scenes, it was pretty certain that she was going to get him back in some way or another. And she does, she does team up with people to get him to suffer in a similar way, but that would be by him losing everything, so that he has no power. So we’ll see.
Would you like Moira and Kim to become friends after their recent heart-to-heart at the prison?
It’s nice that they don’t get on but they have that mutual respect for each other. You really see how Kim knows what that farm meant to Moira. And for her to do that for him, it really opens Kim’s eyes. Like: ‘Oh right, okay, it’s a proper love’.
She really respects that and it’s about family roots and values. So there’s that respect for each other. I think that’ll always be there in the background now but they’ll still have fights – probably because of Joe to be honest, he’ll be the main factor!
Claudia Winkleman explains it was a very emotional moment when she left Strictly Come Dancing with Tess Daly last year
Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly bowed out of the hit BBC show together(Image: PA)
They will be watching the new series of Strictly Come Dancing together. But Claudia Winkleman says she and Tess Daly decided to bow out from the BBC show because they worried about becoming complacent in their roles.
No one ever doubted the pair loved BBC’s ballroom series. But speaking in-depth about their decision to leave, Claudia says she started to see signs that they needed to go ahead with their pact to quit at the same time.
“You want to leave on a high,” says Claudia. “And you want to leave when you are loving it. We were tiny cogs in this huge sparkly, glittery thing. We were tiny as we had props guys holding Eiffel Towers, the amazing band, the dancers, the costume and hair and make-up and everything else and the lighting.
“We thought it was time to leave. Years earlier they said Gloria Estefan was playing in Blackpool and we were like ‘I cant believe it’. I phoned my husband and said ‘I have to practice the Conga’.”
By then end of their run though, even big names and learning new dances were commonplace. She explains: “We thought it was time to leave. You know, not that I was not excited at the end, but both of us were a bit like ‘Oh yeah…cool. Alright, so then I do that…(routine)’.
“It deserves ‘new’ (change). But what shocked me was, we did the last live show. All week was like ‘We are fine’ but I could not stop crying as it has been my entire life. You know sometimes when you decide something like ‘Let’s move house’. Then you pick up the final box. Not that you have done something wrong but it just feels big.”
For Strictly’s launch in 2026, it will be all change in terms of hosts but also with some things still be the same. Claudia and Tess will be together, but snuggled up away from the cameras.
“Tess and I have already planned. We are having jacket potatoes and I am having the salmon. She is coming to ours, her and Vern(husband Vernon Kay). I am not joking. I am going to set her up with a nightie and we are going to watch and support and love it.”
For many years now, pretty much every TV show Claudia Winkleman has touched turned to gold.
Her Strictly Come Dancing stint on the main show for 15 years, hosting The Traitors and now huge spin off hit Celebrity Traitors too, as well as smaller shows like The Piano which won critical acclaim for Channel 4.
For her other major project The Traitors, Claudia says it requires very different skills compared to fronting Strictly, where she says a lot of the credit should go to Tess.
“Tess did all the heavy lifting on Strictly and I am grateful for it. But on Traitors I had to be strict. I was worried about that. I am in life a cheerleader like if my kids fill the dishwasher I am like ‘Lets film it’. So I am a cheerleader and I am able do that on Traitors when they do the missions. I want to feed them chocolate as I am on their side.
“But I have to get a bit strict like when my kids have not done their homework. I love the game so much so that is how I have to be. The producers did tell me to push it.”
Whilst she will continue to front the series, she admits it has made her more thoughtful about lying and deceit in real life.
“Traitors makes me cry. I am not that harsh. I want the traitors to win and the faithful to get them in equal measure. Also it is a lot of money if it is for charity or for them individually.
I have learned a lot of things that I wish I had not. It has made me realise there is no such thing as gut instinct. It is all about what you tell yourself afterwards. And I have learnt you can know the truth but you can persuade people to follow you and that makes me heartbroken. Will I do a children’s version? No.”
After referencing her kids, Claudia, at a charity Q&A event, is asked more about her own family.
She has been married to film producer Kris Thykier since 2000, and they have three children: Jake, Matilda, and Arthur. But there appears to be no risk of nepo babies in the Winkleman household.
With a grin Claudia says: “I told them to nepo up. One wants to work in hospitality, one wants to be a doctor and one wants to be a chemist. I said ‘I can navigate you work experience’ and they were like ‘No thanks mum.’ They are not interested in film (husband’s work) like they say ‘Not unless it comes in a test tube’. So no. That is not what they have asked for.”
Claudia was giving a rare interview to TV director Ben Winston at St John’s Wood Synagogue in London in aid of Lira Winston Fellowships, which focus on identifying and nurturing Jewish school educators
Asked about her thoughts on rising anti semitism, she said: “How do I navigate the industry? The industry itself does not feel anti-Semitic to me. That is my experience. But the growing anti-Semitism and the growing Islamophobia and racism that we see everywhere is really, really terrifying I suppose.
“I don’t want to say terrifying in front of my kids, but it is worrying. And that is why it is so important that we have got to look after each other and people from other communities.”