Tess Daly and Vernon Kay split after 22 years of marriage as they release bombshell statement
Tess Daly and Vernon Kay have split after 22 years of marriage.
The former Strictly presenter, 57, and the Radio 2 DJ, 51, announced in a shock joint statement that they have decided to part ways.
Their statement read: “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 of 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”.
The couple tied the knot on September 12, 2003 and share two daughters Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16.
The pair met at a BBC Christmas party while working as up-and-coming TV presenters for rival channels in 2001.
Kay proposed on Christmas Day 2002 at Daly’s parents home a year later.
The couple married the next September in his hometown at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Horwich, near Bolton.
Daly was born in Stockport, just 20 miles away. Their birthdays, in April, are just a day apart.
They shared their joint statement on their Instagram accounts on Friday evening.
The couple seemed the picture of happiness as they appeared together on a special edition of The One Show earlier this year.
Daly hosted Strictly Come Dancing for 21 years before announcing, along with with co-host Claudia Winkleman, she was leaving the show at the end of the 2025 series.
Daly was joined by her husband and their daughter Phoebe Kay after she was made a MBE at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle in November.
Both Kay and Daly are former models who carved out successful careers as presenters.
Their marriage made headlines in 2010 when Kay admitted he sent explicit texts to around five women, going on to apologise to hundreds of thousands of listeners on the Radio 1 show he hosted at the time.
He interrupted the programme to tell his two million listeners he had been “foolish and stupid”.
However a month later, Daly said their partnership was “worth fighting for” because they had had “10 great years together” and shared “two beautiful kids”.
She told the One Show: “Dealing with it in private is difficult enough, but dealing but with it in public is even harder”, adding that she was touched by the amount of support she had received.
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Although both were well-known faces when they married, they shunned offers of six-figure deals with glossy celebrity magazines for exclusive photographs of their wedding.
The couple, both dressed in white, instead posed for fans’ photographs outside the church.
