Claudia Winkleman is the cover star for Red magazine's January 2015 issue. And the already-loveable star just made us fall for her that little bit more.
The TV presenter opens up about Strictly Come Dancing, marriage, friends, Christmas, 'sexiness', and channelling Steve Tyler - yep, really.
As ever, she's self-deprecating and utterly delicious. See the highlights from the interview, which took place before her daughter's Halloween accident, below...
On her new Strictly role:
"I thought I was going to write, or work in art," she says. "I never thought I would end up standing in a room and reading out loud! I certainly had aspirations to earn my own money and not have to rely on a man. My mum and dad instilled that in me from a very early age. But I didn't know how I was going to do it."
"Weirdly, I don't minimise my achievements when it comes to friendships. I'm proud of those, I've got the best group of girls. And I'm proud that all my kids went to school today with the right bag, and the right snacks – Twiglets, in case you're wondering. I'm excited about everything, but I don't want to stand on a pillar and be like, "Look at me, I managed to wear eyeliner and read out loud."'
On family and marriage:
"All I know is that you can have a different marriage with the same man," she says of her relationship with husband her husband Kris Thykier. "I think it's also about growing older and being cosy. Working too hard puts a strain on – but we're still working hard now. We don't have rules, but we look after each other more. So whoever comes home first normally makes the dinner. It's just about being nice to each other."
On being 'sexy' and channelling Steve Tyler:
Commenting on her looks, she says 'sexy' just isn't her thing.
"I've never wanted to be sexy. Even when I was 18. It's not my shizzle. I want to be funny. A genius. A biochemist. But not sexy."
Aesthetically, she likes to channel Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. "Not even a female version of Steven Tyler, just Steven Tyler. I have a photograph of him from about 20 years ago and he's just wearing a black shirt, a bit of kohl, skinny jeans, hair all in his face and I thought, "That's me! That's what I want to look like!"'
On Christmas:
"I love Christmas more than life itself... My house. A million people round. We eat steak, drink red wine and open presents. People have to sit on the floor because my table seats six....
"I bake cookies for the tree that all the kids write on. Our tree is singularly disgusting; it's all home-made stuff so it's physically repellent. But a big, real tree. I love the Christmas build-up. I like the comedown, too. I love Boxing Day. The food. The Lego. Kris and Jake will literally sit at the table for four days making something and I'll just bring them snacks in my pyjamas."
The full interview appears in the January issue of Red, on sale 4 December. Also available in digital edition on Apple Newsstand.
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