Traitors host Claudia Winkleman voices her fears for the ‘terrifying’ growth in antisemitism in the UK

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She is one of the most powerful women on television.

But Claudia Winkleman has voiced her fears for the ever-increasing tide of antisemitism in Britain.

The BBC personality, 54, whose family history includes grandparents who survived the Holocaust, expressed deep concern about the increasing levels of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and racism happening around the world, calling it truly frightening.

‘That’s why it’s important that people are there for each other.’

Speaking to an audience of 800 at St John’s Wood Synagogue on Thursday, the host of ‘The Traitors’ explained, ‘From my own experience, I don’t feel the entertainment industry is antisemitic – I’m just sharing what I’ve seen.’

I was really upset back in 2017 when I read that Kevin Myers, a columnist for The Sunday Times, had to apologize to Claudia and Vanessa Feltz. He’d made a terrible suggestion that their success and good salaries were somehow connected to their Jewish faith. It was shocking and completely unacceptable, and I was glad he had to apologize, though it didn’t excuse the original comment.

Myers expressed deep regret for upsetting the broadcasters and stated he was truly sorry for his actions.

Mr. Myers, who the newspaper stated it will no longer work with, explained to Irish broadcaster RTÉ that he spoke those words as a sign of respect for the religion.

On Thursday, Claudia remembered that her grandparents, who lived in London, always kept a suitcase packed by the door, ready to leave quickly if necessary.

She added: ‘I can’t even imagine what that was like for my grandpa or grandma.’

Claudia, based in London, has said she avoids discussing the issue on social media because it lacks subtlety. She believes platforms like these don’t allow for complex discussions.

‘Twitter is like a bar fight. So I choose not to go there. What happened to conversation?’

The former host of Strictly Come Dancing, with a net worth of £30million, was talking with leading TV producer Ben Winston about their shared Jewish background.

Reflecting on her unexpected exit from Strictly Come Dancing alongside Tess Daly last year, she explained that the show had been a huge part of her life. She initially tried to convince herself she was okay, saying ‘We’re fine,’ but then found herself unable to stop crying.

It comes as the second episode of her BBC One chat show, The Claudia Winkleman Show, airs tonight.

Honestly, the first night was a bit of a letdown. A lot of reviewers were pretty harsh, saying it felt cheap and the people invited weren’t very interesting. It wasn’t the strong start I was hoping for, and it definitely left me feeling a little disappointed.

For her second show, she chatted with comedians Cush Jumbo and Josh Widdicombe, along with actors Dan Levy and Phil Dunster.

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2026-04-17 20:50