The Piano star Claudia Winkleman on her ‘terrible’ eyesight: ‘It’s embarrassing’

The Piano host Claudia Winkleman once opened up about her “terrible” and “embarrassing” eyesight – and has even had to undergo several surgeries.

The TV favourite is one of the UK’s go-to presenters, hosting shows like Strictly, The Traitors, and recently, The Piano, which is on screens on Sunday June 9.

However, Claudia battles with a “terrible” eye condition that is incurable.

The Piano host Claudia Winkleman says ‘eyes have deteriorated so badly’
Claudia was born with myopia. This is an incurable eye condition which seriously affects her sight. The TV star was born with a -15 vision. In a bid to improve it, and her quality of life, Claudia has undergone several surgeries.

I’ve had a couple of operations since then because I was just banging into walls

“I’ve always had terrible eyesight. Which is going back to the blurriness of the paintings I like and the blurriness of how I really like life to be,” she revealed on the How to Fail podcast.

Claudia underwent ‘couple of operations’
She went on: “I’ve had a couple of operations since then because I was just banging into walls. But now I wear lenses or glasses or whatever.

“But everything is ish, it’s just a vague idea which is how I’d like to live. I don’t want to live in perfect land, I want to live in fuzzy world.”

Just look at the way I do my eye make-up. I’m not very good at neat.

Claudia added: “If there’s perfect here, people who want things to look good and ordered and alphabetised and organised, and then there’s the other end, I’m past the other end.

“I like irregular and ramshackle and messy. Just look at the way I do my eye make-up. I’m not very good at neat.”

Claudia Winkleman says it’s ’embarrassing’
Speaking more about her condition, Claudia told 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.”

What’s more, Claudia has also previously claimed that she has “never really been able to see her face” due to her eyesight.