Heartbreaking real reason Strictly's Claudia Winkleman never wears Halloween costume

With Strictly Come Dancing's Halloween week well and truly over, many fans noticed that its hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly returned to screens in their usual glammed-up looks instead of dressing to the theme. Meanwhile, the celebrity contestants took to the dancefloor with their professional partner in full costume. This was even true for the judges as Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke all underwent spooky makeovers.

However, it has been revealed that Claudia and Tess' decision not to dress up for the occasion is due to a traumatic event that affected Claudia and her family. In 2015, the host's then-eight-year-old daughter, Matilda Thykier, suffered horrifying burns after her flammable Halloween costume caught on fire. At the time of the heartbreaking incident, Matilda was dressed in a witch outfit for a gathering at a neighbour's home when she passed by a candle, which caused her costume to catch fire.

The youngster suffered a multitude of horrifyingly serious burns on her legs and was hospitalised for three weeks.

Reliving the nightmare, Claudia reflected on 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."

The mum-of-three told Best magazine: "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."

During an episode of her How Did We Get Here? podcast with psychologist Professor Tanya Byron, Claudia 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."

Following the incident, the 53-year-old began campaigning for better safety standards in Halloween costumes' materials.

In 2015, this prompted the UK Government to tighten the flame-retardant standards of Halloween costumes and toys.

As a result, they will be made from materials that won't burn faster than 10mm per second, down from the previous standard of 30mm per second.