IN HER 138 episodes presenting Strictly Come Dancing's magazine show, It Takes Two, Claudia Winkleman has seen more crystals than Daniel Swarovski, enough fake tan to emulsion the White Cliffs of Dover and scrutinised as many dance moves as Darcey Bussell.

Yet ask her about her outfit for this Saturday's Eurovision Dance Contest, and the glamorous TV presenter is uncharacteristically backward at coming forward.

"There's nothing worse than a competitive host, so I almost want to wear a tracksuit," quips the 36-year-old.

"But there's some brilliant girls who look after the costumes. I can just turn up and they'll say: There you are, love'."

Whatever her wardrobe, Claudia will be reunited with co-host Graham Norton for the second annual installment of the pan-European take on the Strictly Come Dancing phenomenon.

Dancers from 15 countries will descend on Glasgow's SECC this Saturday for the live TV spectacular, which was won last year by Finland.

"They asked me to do it last year and I was like genius'," says Claudia. "And this year they said: More Norton, Glasgow, are you in?' "It's brilliant because these people come from all over Europe and they're sitting in the green room going: Yes, I am doing a polka and yodelling.

"It was extremely funny. And Graham is probably the friendliest and the sweetest guy who you could ever hope to work with."

The 135-minute programme will be broadcast live on BBC1, with the audience voting for their favourite couple, whose performance is also judged by SCD's resident good-cop-bad-cop combo, Len Goodman and Craig Revell Horwood.

The UK is represented by actress Louisa Lytton (who is currently starring as PC Beth Green in The Bill) and her Italian stallion dance partner Vincent Simone.

The couple made it to the quarter-final of the 2006 series, losing out to cricketer Mark Ramprakash.

Louisa and Vincent will go up against the European celebrity-professional pairings in a freestyle dance including elements of Latin, Ballroom and their national identity.

Witnessing Louisa trembling backstage, and giggling nervously on the It Takes Two sofa, brought out the motherly side to Claudia.

"She's so sweet - she's such a baby. I'm maternal with any of them and she was our youngest ever contestant.

"I think her and Vincent are a great team. They have such charisma and have such a buzz."

Aside from presenting Eurovision Your Decision alongside Terry Wogan and coverage of Sport Relief this year, Claudia has kept mostly away from the small-screen limelight. She scales back her workload in the months outside the marathon Strictly Come Dancing schedule to look after her two young children, Jake and Matilda.

She lives in London with her husband, PR guru-turned film producer Kris Thykier, while her mother Eve Pollard, was the first woman to edit a national newspaper.

Claudia's at-home time is at a much slower pace than the Cambridge art history graduate experienced in her early career, jetting around the world as a presenter on travel show Holiday.

Her irreverent, quick-witted style - and that trademark fringe - won her a cult following on digital showbiz programme Liquid News.

It paved the way to higher-profile roles on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy and BBC2's celebrated art reality show Art School.

"That's a show I'd have taken part in, I guess, even although I would have been rubbish," says Claudia of Art School.

The sixth series of SCD starts on September 20.

Holby City star Tom Chambers has overtaken former S Club 7 beauty Rachel Stevens as the bookies' hot favourite to win this year's crown.

Outside contenders include EastEnders' Jessie Wallace (Kat Slater) and Phil Daniels (Kevin Wicks), models Jodie Kidd and George Clooney's ex Lisa Snowdon, plus kitchen whizz Gary Rhodes and M People diva Heather Small.

The mere mention of SCD: It Takes Two beginning later this month sends Claudia into a high-pitched squeal before she remembers her sleeping children.

"I like the fact that I could talk about a Viennese Waltz for about seven days without stopping," she says.

"I always think at the end of a series that I can't talk about that any more, they've got to get somebody fresh, but then by July I'm thinking about the foxtrot and can't bear it because I'm so excited."

Did she dance as a youngster? "I was never allowed. My mum was too busy making me do maths."

For the uninitiated, It Takes Two is the behind-the-scenes guide where the gossip is spilled, the accompanying music is revealed and the contestants' rehearsal bloopers are exposed.

But the random guests who pop in for a mid-week chat on her sofa - outing themselves as SCD fans in the process - are just as entertaining as the show's twists and shimmies.

Everyone from Meat Loaf and Paul Whitehouse to Rob Brydon and Michael Buble have all shared their opinions on the contestants.

"Lots of people who have kids are just made to watch it," says Claudia.

"It's an if you can't beat them join them' scenario, and then they end up loving it as well."

But one Scottish quibble is that It Takes Two isn't broadcast on terrestrial television on Thursdays.

It means avid fans need to tune into digital telly to watch the English output while Scots viewers have Gaelic broadcasting.

"I'm so sorry about that!" she says. "Lots of people were writing to me saying: Can you ask that it be shown?' I can just about choose what colour of mascara I'm going to wear, but other than that I'm in charge of nothing."