Strictly's Claudia Winkleman has 'embarrassing' health condition she's had for decades

Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman has been living with a severe and lifelong eye condition, myopia, which significantly affects her daily life. At 52, Claudia's -15 short-sighted vision, which she has had since birth, makes everyday tasks a challenge.

Her condition is so severe that she is unable to read the autocue, and her poor vision often causes her to "bang into walls". Claudia has shared the emotional revelation that she has "never really been able to see my face", relying on "guesswork" to recognize her own features.

In a candid conversation on the How To Fail podcast, Claudia discussed how her vision impacts her life, including not being able to drive, stating: "I've always had terrible eyesight."

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She explained that she has undergone operations to correct her vision and now relies on lenses or glasses to navigate the world. Claudia's preference for the "blurriness of life" is reflected in her fondness for blurry paintings, which resonates with her own experiences of living with myopia.

Claudia Winkleman has opened up about the significant impact that laser surgery at London's Moorfields Eye Hospital had on her life and career, particularly how her deteriorating eyesight was affecting her work on 'Strictly Come Dancing', reports Birmingham Live.

She shared her struggles with vision in a candid interview with The Sun in 2021: "I can't even begin to tell you how blind I am. It's embarrassing. I can't read the autocue. My eyes have deteriorated so badly, I'm not meant to drive. I am doing the wrong job."

After undergoing laser eye surgery at Moorfields, Claudia described the experience as "life-changing" and expressed immense gratitude for the hospital staff's exceptional care. Despite having two operations to correct her vision, she admits there's still a 'fuzzy' quality to her sight.

Reflecting on her condition, Claudia has sometimes embraced her -15 short sightedness, remarking: "Everything is ish, it's just a vague idea which is how I'd like to live. I don't want to live in a perfect land. I want to live in fuzzy world."

The NHS has highlighted several symptoms of myopia that both adults and children may exhibit:.

Anyone experiencing these symptoms should consider booking an optician's appointment promptly.