Tess Daly’s reinvention plan as she shows off new ‘sillier’ side as marriage ends
Strictly Come Dancing star Tess Daly, 57, and husband Vernon Kay, 52, announced their separation after 22 years of marriage – but insiders say the couple had been working on their relationship behind the scenes for some time
Tess had been planning her reinvention before strictly ended
Tess Daly’s plans to change her life and reinvigorate her career happened long before the bombshell announcement she was leaving Strictly Come Dancing and her marriage to Vernon Kay, according to sources.
On Friday night Tess and Vernon issued a public statement to say that they have split after almost 23 years of marriage. Tess, 57, tied the knot with fellow TV star Vernon, 52, in September 2003 and they went on to have daughters Phoebe, 21, and 16-year-old Amber together.
However, last night they jointly revealed they had parted ways and would be navigating new lives away from each other. The news came just six months after Tess made another life-changing decision by walking away from her role as co-host on Strictly Come Dancing, a position she held for 21 years.
Towards the end of last year, Tess, along with former co-host Claudia Winkleman , decided to quit Strictly Come Dancing after several years at the helm of the BBC Saturday night favourite. Their replacement is yet to be revealed.
In recent months, Tess has noticeably filtered her husband Vernon off her Instagram pages, choosing instead to share snippets from girls’ holidays and promotion for her swimwear line. The presenter even went on holiday with Vernon two weeks before sharing that they’d split, but opted to keep him. away from her social media.
The mum has also been showing her fun side by making increasing number of appearances in her daughter’s TikTok videos.
Just a day before the break-up news, Phoebe shared a video of her mum twirling for the camera as she asked, “Mum’s TikTok era pending?”
Insiders have said there is no ‘bad blood’ between Tess and Vernon and that the pair have simply ‘drifted apart.’
An insider revealed to The Sun: “This wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction. Tess and Vernon have been working on their marriage behind the scenes for a while now. ‘But they’ve realised it’s just not meant to be. “But they’ve realised it’s just not meant to be.
“They’ll always have a lot of love for each other but would rather end things as friends than grow to resent each other. Tess and Vernon don’t ever want the girls to see them at each other’s throats.”
In a joint statement announcing the split on Instagram , they said: “After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably.
“This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a place of mutual understanding and a shared desire for what is best for both of us. We remain great friends and most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.
“There are no other parties involved in this decision. We kindly ask for privacy during this time as we navigate this transition together. We will not be making any further public comments. Tess and Vernon.”
Tess and Vernon met in 2001 when they were working together on Top of the Pops@Play, a short-lived spin-off of the staple music programme. In 2024, Vernon described their meeting when he was hosting his BBC Radio 2 show.
He explained: “It was Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly and I, [we] recreated the video for Britney Spears ‘ Hit Me Baby One More Time. That’s how we first met.
“She was dressed as Geri Halliwell in the Spice Girls Union Jack dress; I was dressed as Britney Spears in the Hit Me Baby One More Time video. It was in a charity shop on Shepherd’s Bush Green.”
Over the years, the couple, who have remained TV favourites on screen during their time together, have been through numerous ups and downs, notably in 2010 when reports revealed that Vernon had pursued Page 3 model Rhian Sugden for four months, sending her messages via Twitter , text and email.
At the time, he said: “I was contacted by Rhian out of the blue back in December regarding the story in 2010 claiming she had information she wanted to pass on.
“I recognise how it may look when messages are pulled out of context but there was never any inappropriate intent to our communication, I was merely trying to find answers to questions that I’ve had since 2010. Tess is aware of everything that has been discussed with Rhian.”
But the couple survived the scandal – after Vernon had made his apology and promised never to message Rhian, nor four other women he had been caught messaging, ever again.
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