Tess Daly gets emotional over big change in home life as she admits ‘it’s hard to imagine’
Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly has opened up about her family life and admitted she’s ‘in denial’ about a big change at home with her husband Vernon Kay
Robin Cottle Assistant Editor Trendswatch
14:35, 27 Oct 2025
Vernon Kay and Tess Daly share two children (Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly has emotionally confessed that she’s “in denial” about a significant shift in her family life with Vernon Kay.
The 56 year old television personality surprised the showbiz world last week when she and Claudia Winkleman jointly announced they would be leaving Strictly after the current series concludes.
This decision will enable her to devote more time to her family – husband Vernon Kay and their daughters Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16.
Phoebe, the couple’s eldest daughter, has already left home to study film and television at university, and Tess admitted she is struggling to accept her eldest moving out, reports the Mirror.
In an interview with Hello!, she said: “It’s hard to imagine them not being around. I genuinely think they’re going to be (at home) until they’re 30. I can’t imagine them leaving, but that probably says more about me because I don’t want them to go.”
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman(Image: Getty Images for the NTA’s)
She added: “I’d probably be weeping in the corner, missing them so much, because they’re my best friends.”
Tess has been a staple on the BBC’s Strictly, presenting the reality show since its inaugural series in 2004.
Despite her highly successful career, she stated that she “loves being a mum” and that it’s what has defined her for the past two decades.
The presenter also humorously remarked that she wouldn’t be joining Claudia Winkleman on The Traitors as she “might not be very good” and possesses “the world’s worst poker face”.
The final Strictly episode featuring Tess and Claudia will be broadcast on Christmas Day as part of the annual Christmas special.
Claudia disclosed that the duo had hatched their departure strategy from Strictly years in advance.
Vernon Kay and Tess Daly (Image: Getty Images for EJAF)
She dismissed suggestions that viewers wanted her to remain indefinitely, remarking: “I don’t think anybody would want that.
“I am sure people watching would go ‘Can that small orange creature just shuffle off?’ Tess and I will leave at the same time. We made that pact over pizza. I had pepperoni.”
Whilst Tess has fronted Strictly since 2004, Claudia initially presented the spin-off programme It Takes Two.
She progressed to hosting the results programme in 2010 before taking over from the iconic Sir Bruce Forsyth four years afterwards.
The duo’s joint announcement, issued last Thursday (October 23), stated: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.
“We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show.
“We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.”
