Brave Claudia lifts the lid on a nightmare every parent fears

No-one could have watched Claudia Winkleman’s heart-wrenching interview last week on BBC’s Watchdog programme and not been moved.

And every parent must have thought “that could so easily have been my child”.

Claudia’s 8-year-old daughter Matilda put on her dressing-up costume at Halloween last year to go guising with her friends but a rogue spark caught the material and within seconds the little girl was engulfed in flames.

“She went up is the only way I know how to describe it,” said Claudia. “It was really fast and she screamed out for me.”

Every mother’s nightmare.

You buy your daughter a witch’s outfit because she is so excited at the thought of a fun night with her pals and within minutes it ends in tragedy and despair.

Matilda suffered severe burns, particularly to one leg and was in hospital for weeks. Claudia, who had just started her dream job as a presenter on Strictly Come Dancing, says: “The accident was life-changing for me and my daughter. I can’t remember life before it.”

Sadly, there are many parents who will identify with Claudia’s words. For them there is and always will be the before and after.

The moment they looked away and their child ran in front of a car. The holiday swimming pool and the accident which shouldn’t have happened. The daredevil stunt that went wrong and your son or daughter is injured.

Those parents will live with agonising blame forever. Is there anything I could have done?

Claudia regrets buying a cheap fancy dress costume from the supermarket, a witch’s costume made from material which proved to be hideously flammable and melted on Matilda’s skin.

But there are no perfect parents. We’ve all made mistakes. The Princess dress or the fairy outfit your daughter craves? You give in without checking the quality of the material.

Your teenager wants to go to an all-night party because “everyone else is” and you reluctantly say “yes” but can’t sleep for worrying.

The sport they love with built-in risks, the challenging expedition, the boozy foreign holiday with pals, their first car with squeaky brakes…

That’s why we can identify with Claudia’s life-changing moment.

We know it could so easily be any one of us. No matter how careful and sensible we are, accidents happen.

We also know we mustn’t be over-protective because we want our children to live life to the full and enjoy it to the max.

So, with fingers crossed, we carry on the balancing act of parenting. Thankfully Matilda is getting better.

Claudia is loving her career and raising her three children. Their family is stronger after what they’ve come through together.

Thanks for sharing with us, Claudia your honesty helps.