Claudia Winkleman has opened up about her ongoing battle with myopia, revealing the extent of her struggles with the chronic eye condition.
The 53-year-old Strictly Come Dancing and The Traitors host has been candid about her deteriorating vision despite undergoing numerous operations.
Speaking on Gabby Logan’s The Mid Point podcast last December, Winkleman detailed how her eyesight issues have evolved over time and admitted that her vision has fluctuated dramatically, affecting her ability to perform basic tasks.
She revealed she has undergone multiple eye surgeries, including lens replacement, as she continues to manage the condition and confided in Logan: “I’ve had lens replacement. I’ve had so many operations on my eyes.”
She explained that her astigmatism was particularly severe, with her vision reaching “minus 16” before intervention and added: “I had a lens replacement in my left eye because my astigmatism was so bad I was minus 16, but that was 14 years ago.”
The presenter has previously discussed her vision problems on the How To Fail podcast, saying, “I’ve always had terrible eyesight. I’ve had a couple of operations since then because I was just banging into walls.”
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Ironically, the corrective procedures that addressed her short-sightedness created new challenges for the presenter as she explained: “Because I was so short-sighted by then fixing it I’m now long-sighted so I can’t really read anymore.”
She now requires reading glasses but still struggles with certain tasks and admitted: “I can with glasses, I’ve got plus 2.5 but I can’t read The Bee Sting with those glasses and that light.”
This transition from severe short-sightedness to long-sightedness has complicated her daily life, with the star describing how her vision has essentially flipped from one extreme to another following treatment.
Winkleman has been remarkably open about how her poor eyesight impacts her television career, and in a 2021 interview with The Sun, she made a startling admission: “I can’t even begin to tell you how blind I am. It’s embarrassing.”
Despite being one of Britain’s most recognisable TV presenters, she struggles with fundamental aspects of the job.
“I can’t read the autocue. My eyes have deteriorated so badly that I’m not meant to drive. I am doing the wrong job.”
Despite her vision challenges, Winkleman has maintained a philosophical outlook on her condition and speaking on the How to Fail podcast, she revealed she’s come to appreciate a certain blurriness in life.
“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. I’m like ‘I don’t understand why Ozzy Osbourne…I didn’t even invite him round’, and then I’m like ‘Ah, it’s me’.”
Winkleman believes her vision limitations have influenced her aesthetic preferences, drawing her to appreciate blurry paintings.
The presenter maintains an upbeat outlook despite her eyesight struggles, leaving her candid discussions about her health condition to resonate with fans nationwide.
Winkleman’s ability to continue her successful broadcasting career while managing her vision issues demonstrates her remarkable resilience and professionalism.
