Claudia Winkleman has revealed that she is still haunted by the screams of her daughter, after her Halloween costume went up in flames.
Matilda was just eight years old when her witch's costume went caught fire on Halloween 2014. The costume was set alight when her cape brushed off a candle, which was on the doorstep of a house the kids were visiting for trick or treat.
The terrifying accident left Matilda with severe burns on her leg.
Talking to Best magazine about the incident, Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia explained: 'I don't like Halloween because three years ago it turned out our screams were real.'
The mum-of-three relived every parent's nightmare, describing how her daughter screamed out for her: 'She "went up" is the only way I can describe it - it was a spark, and she screamed out for me.'
Claudia's daughter Matilda in the film I Give It A Year
'It was like those horrific birthday candles that you blow out and they come backm' she continued. 'It was really fast. It was definitely life-changing for me.'
Claudia appeared on BBC's Watchdog, in an episode dedicated to testing the flammability of kids' Halloween costumes.
She discussed the incident, saying: 'I was talking to somebody 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.'
In previous years, Claudia - who is also mum to sons Arthur and Jake - has joked about how she had 'tried to cancel' Halloween, but that proved to be 'overly ambitious.'
Little Matilda spent a month in hospital, with Claudia and her husband Kris Thykier praising the NHS for their 'extraordinary' care.
Her accident led to the tightening of the flammability standard of children's Halloween costumes.
Has Claudia's expereince made you think twice about the costumes you buy? Let us know in the comments box below.
