Horse racing presenter Francesca Cumani has said she cannott wear flashy hats when she is working, in case the horses nibble them.

The presenter, the face of ITV horse racing, has modelled headwear from the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective in a photoshoot with Hello!

But she told the magazine that she does not have a wardrobe of flamboyant hats of her own.

“I don’t get to wear extravagant hats when I’m presenting – they could scare the horses and there’s always the danger they might take a nibble out of them,” she said.

Francesca Cumani in Hello!
Francesca Cumani in Hello! (Hello!)

Cumani is currently gearing up for Royal Ascot, a highlight of the summer horse racing season and a favourite with the Queen.

“Watching Her Majesty arrive in the gleaming carriages is such a spectacle and it makes me proud to be British,” she said.

“You can just see the glee and excitement on her face, especially when she has a winner.”

Asked if her own equestrian passion will last until she is 93, the presenter said: “Absolutely. Once you’ve got the bug, it doesn’t really go away.

“Although I probably won’t be arriving at Ascot in a carriage.”

The full article is in Hello! magazine, which is out now.