Strictly Come Dancing presenter Claudia Winkleman is battling to save her marriage after a series of rows with her husband over their work commitments.

The 36-year-old host of nightly spin-off show It Takes Two has been left distraught about the future of her eight-year relationship with public relations man turned film producer Kris Thykier.

The couple, who have two children - Jake, five, and two-year-old Matilda - are making a last-ditch attempt to salvage the marriage.

Strictly Come Dancing's Claudia Winkleman is fighting to save her marriage

Miss Winkleman has been putting on a brave face, and appeared at the press launch of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing on Thursday.

The success of her TV presenting career

means that she spends long hours filming, while Mr Thykier is increasingly in Hollywood as he tries to build his film production company and break into the industry there.

The movie executive works for MARV Films with Claudia Schiffer's husband, producer Matthew Vaughn.

Claudia Winkleman and film producer husband Kris Thykier

Miss Winkleman and Mr Thykier are believed to have had a number of rows over the time they spend apart but are now trying to resolve the situation with the help of both their families.

The pair own a £2million family home in central London and another house in Maida Vale.

Miss Winkleman, who co-presented last Sunday's London 2012 party on BBC1, was visited on Friday by her father Barry and stepmother Cindy.

She looked drawn and stressed on the doorstep as she greeted the pair, who took her son out for the morning. She was not wearing a wedding ring. She would only say: 'I'm sorry, I can't talk about this now.'

Mr Thykier has recently been busy overseeing plans for the movie Kick-Ass, which is shooting in London and Toronto for the next four months and stars Nicolas Cage.

Friends said no one else was involved in the couple's difficulties. Their relationship had been considered to be one of the more secure in showbusiness.

There were rumours earlier this year that Miss Winkleman would leave It Takes Two to spend more time with her children.

But she has stayed with the show and is also co-presenting the Eurovision Dance Contest on BBC1 on Saturday.

She has written extensively about her home life and children in her regular newspaper column. In February she told how she had a 'full-on strop' after her husband did nothing to mark Valentine's Day.

Miss Winkleman's father Barry is a publisher and her mother is former newspaper editor Eve Pollard. Her parents divorced when she was three.

Both Miss Winkleman's agent and Mr Thykier were unavailable for comment last night.