Strictly host Claudia Winkleman says she's been left heartbroken after her son flew the nest to go to university.
The Strictly Come Dancing presenter was speaking as a guest on a podcast when talking about her separation from her teenage son.
She appeared as a guest on the Postcards From Midlife Podcast earlier this week.
She told podcast hosts Lorraine Candy and Trish Halpin she was "heartbroken" when her son first left home, Birmingham Live reports.
The 50-year-old TV presenter has three children with her husband Kris Thykier.
Lorraine asked: “You’ve spoken about having to learn to separate from (your children) and this is the big separating time, when they go to university.”
Claudia responded: “I handle it very badly. One is at university and I felt heartbroken.
"But it’s not fair on him for me to just keep him here with me all the time, just having three meals a day and me looking in his eyes and going, ‘I’m not being funny but if you love that Rolling Stones album would you consider listening to this Led Zeppelin song'.
“He doesn’t want to do that. He wants to be with his friends. Roots and wings and all that, you have to give them both.”
The Strictly star added: “I remember my mum dropping me off at university and she could not stop crying.
"I said to myself, ‘I won’t do that and I’ll be brave’. Of course, I fell apart because they’re my life.”
Claudia and Kris, a film director, married in 2000 in a secret ceremony in London. Despite rarely speaking about her private life, Claudia did make a comment when speaking to Red magazine.
She puts her marriage success down to Kris' personality traits and his willingness for partnership.
She explained: "You see, Kris is very Scandinavian. We've been together for 22 years and he's never once said to me, 'What's for dinner?' It's always been, 'What shall we have for dinner?'"
