Claudia Winkleman's 'worst beauty disaster' as she compares herself to Strictly star

Claudia Winkleman was left unimpressed by her worst hair disaster, which happened when she was just 14, and it left her looking like Strictly star Toyah Willcox

A newly resurfaced interview reveals that long before they met on this year's BBC show, Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman had a mishap that led her to jokingly compare herself to dance contestant Toyah Willcox. Toyah, an icon of the 80s pop scene, recently left the competition with partner Neil Jones, receiving a goodbye from Claudia and the rest of the Strictly team.

Claudia has apparently been an admirer of Toyah for a considerable time, once humorously likening herself to the star back in 2009. Reflecting on her biggest beauty blunder, Claudia shared: "I found a bottle of Sun-In when I was 14 and my hair looked like Toyah’s the next day." She also quipped in the same interview that Minnie Mouse was her "beauty icon", and expressed disinterest in plastic surgery, which she finds "so squeamish".

Toyah, the oldest star in this year's Strictly, faced stiff competition from celebs like Wynne Evans, Tasha Ghouri, JB Gill, Chris McCausland and others. At 66, the singer and actress was the second to leave the BBC dance show's 20th series after a dance-off with ex-Arsenal player Paul Merson. Post-exit, Toyah expressed she was "gutted" but insisted it wouldn't dampen the "fantastic time" she enjoyed. On It Takes Two, she added: "I was not off first, which meant a lot to me. I've had the most brilliant life-affirming experience in the last two months, I'm in a good place."

Toyah also discussed her aim to defy age stereotypes, stating: "It's incredibly important that everyone has a good day every day of their lives. I'm 66, I've never been shy about that, and I have to say that Strictly has made me feel so incredibly healthy, which I love." She continued: "But we all deserve every day of our life, no matter what age we are, for it to be a positive and brilliant experience, and if I can put that across to people who are feeling that age is the end, then I've done a good job."

Her dance partner Neil confirmed their bond would endure "for life", reminiscing over the fun and laughter during practice sessions.

This Saturday, the remaining Strictly contestants will be taking on the first ever Icon Week, dancing to songs from some of music's biggest stars including Madonna, Freddie Mercury and Queen, Whitney Houston, The Beatles, George Michael, Shirley Bassey and KISS. The remaining celebrities are JB Gill, Montell Douglas, Sam Quek, Sarah Hadland, Tasha Ghouri, Chris McCausland, Jamie Borthwick, Pete Wicks, Shayne Ward and Wynne Evans.