Quite: The Top 10 Sunday Times bestseller, hilarious stories and heartfelt advice from the much-loved Strictly Come Dancing co-host

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If you love brightly coloured clothes, wearing kitten heels, and green eyeshadow then you might not like what Claudia has to say. This is a beautiful book that isn’t preachy, nor is it a serious book. It is a book that will make you smile. It is relatable, clever, and had me strangely wanting to hear more about topics Claudia has feelings on. She seems very down to earth, I love how she talks about her husband and children and life in general. However, when she revealed her plans to become an author to her children their response wasn’t quite so supportive. Describing herself in the opening sentence as “a short, orange woman who occasionally reads out loud on the telly”, Claudia Winkleman seems unable to quite believe her own success. But this book will further it, though its title does her a disservice. It’s much more than “quite” good. To borrow a favourite Winkleman word, it is excellent. I have been a fan of Claudia's for a long time, and her humour really comes through with this book. I love the fact the audiobook is narrated by Winkleman herself too.

Thrown into the mix is a chapter on “Squirrel Etiquette”, insisted upon by her eight-year old son. (FYI, you should never throw a nut at a squirrel; just leave it close by so the furry little creature can see it.) This is an author who shows that, if your writing is sharp enough and witty enough, you can get away with ignoring the normal literary rules on structure and even subject matter. Within these six sections are different topics that Claudia felt passionate enough to write about (plus a section on squirrels her son made her add 🙂 ). You might not agree with everything Claudia has to say about life, you might think that some of the things that she talks about are definitely not the way you see things or run your life and that is okay. She is not preaching at you, telling you to change your life, she is merely telling you her thoughts on the subjects.

I tend to avoid this genre and I’m not sure why because I’ve enjoyed most of the ones I’ve read, she looks like quite a character Claudia Winkleman is one of the best known broadcasters in the UK, she won the RTS Award for Best Presenter in 2015, the WFTV award for Best Presenter in 2019 and has been BAFTA-nominated. Claudia currently co-hosts Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1) alongside Tess Daly and also has a Sunday night show on BBC Radio 2. Claudia also fronts the BBC1 cookery competition series Britain’s Best Home Cook alongside Mary Berry, which first aired in 2018 and will return to television screens again next year. She also regularly appears as a guest on panel shows including QI, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Big Fat Quiz of the Year and Would I Lie To You.

Claudia Winkleman’s warmth, humour, no-holds-barred attitude and smoky eye have made her the favourite broadcaster of millions and a much-loved household name. Claudia Winkleman's warmth, humour, no-holds-barred attitude and smoky eye have made her the favourite broadcaster of millions and a much-loved household name. Claudia has previously presented four series of The Great British Sewing Bee and was the host of BBC Film. Claudia is also a trustee of Comic Relief and has fronted the live television shows for both Red Nose Day and Sport Relief, along with spin-off shows including Let’s Dance for Comic Relief/ Sport Relief and the Comic Relief Danceathon.Matilda had to undergo a series of operations on her leg after her supermarket witch costume caught fire from a candle. In presenter Claudia Winkleman’s first book she talks about life. From children to husbands, clothes to footwear, celebrities to Strictly, (sorry I’m not a fan), she covers all aspects that she has an opinion on. If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us Winkleman is also an author who doesn’t shy away from emotion, particularly in the chapters on parenting. She writes about her obsession with imprinting her kids’ names on everything from the bread-board to the doorstop and how she is dreading her eldest child leaving home, which moved me to tears.

I'm not sure how to put into words how much I adored this book. Claudia Winkleman is hilarious and never takes herself too seriously. I actually had very little of an opinion about Claudia Winkleman before reading this book, apart from that she has a fringe and I thought she wore a lot of eyeliner. After reading, I've learnt that there's a lot of logic behind the fringe and the eyeliner and I can respect that. With so many opinions, it would be difficult to agree with them all, and it would be unreasonable to expect to. Most are innocuous but some are simply offensive - e.g. "an over-enthusiastic user of [the exclamation mark] is physically repellent. You don't want to go out with someone who uses emojis either." Sure, this is likely exaggerated for comic effect, but it is pretty extreme (and out-of-touch with common linguistic practice). Another part says that liking spicy food is an indication of "bad taste" - she goes on to say you shouldn't care, but it is an example of where this book is relatable mainly to the white middle class.Claudia - who also had to seek professional help to combat the horrifying image of Matilda's costume going up in flames - gushed about the NHS workers who were so incredible when Matilda was hurt. As part of the Strictly family, Claudia first presented Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two before joining Tess Daly on the main show in 2014. The following year she also hosted The People’s Strictly.

So, to begin with I was slightly confused by this book. I didn't 'quite' understand the point. But the more it went on, the more I really enjoyed it.

Review: Quite By Claudia Winkleman

Claudia Winkleman's warmth, humour, no-holds-barred attitude and smoky eye have made her the favourite broadcaster of millions and a much-loved household name. Claudia Winkleman is a proud mum-of-three but likes to keep her personal life out of the spotlight.