Need to know
The famous couple have had their ups and downs over the years and share two daughters together – here is everything you need to know about their relationship that lasted over two decades
Tess Daly and Vernon Kay attend the 2024 BAFTA Television Awards (Image: 2024 Getty Images)
Tess Daly, 57, and Vernon Kay, 52, have just announced that they are separating after 22 years together. Here is everything you need to know about their relationship.
- The couple first met in 2001 when they were working together on Top of the Pops@Play, a spin-off of the popular music programme. Veron was hosting T4 on Channel 4, and Tess was a presenter on ITV’s SMTV at the time.
- Tess said it was like love at first sight, given their immediate connection. “It was all quite immediate, really, because we instantly had such a blast together. I couldn’t imagine having more fun with anyone else. It was pretty explosive, I tell you,” she previously told Digital Spy.
- Vernon proposed to Tess on Christmas Day in 2002, while they were both at her parents’ house, and they tied the knot the following September.
- They got married at St Mary’s Church in Vernon’s hometown of Horwich and had a reception at the Rivington Hall Barn. The newlyweds drove between the two venues in a white Volkswagen camper van that had balloons and the words ‘just married’ painted on. Tess wore a strapless white dress while Veron was dressed in a white suit and a pink shirt.
- Tess gave birth to their first child, Phoebe Elizabeth Kay, in October 2004. She had to get a caesarean section as she had abnormal cells on her cervix. “The sensation of having a caesarean, of the doctor feeling around to pull our baby into the world, was like having a builder with huge boots on inside me, pulling at random bits from the wall of my womb as he stomped about,” she wrote in one of her books.
- The new mum accepted the role of presenter for BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing a year after Phoebe’s birth.
- The couple welcomed their second child, another daughter, in May 2009. They called her Amber Isabella Kay. “I did worry that 4-and-a-half years might be a little too much of a gap… but they’re really good mates,” Tess told Made For Mums. “[Sometimes they play] together all day: schools and nature walks in the garden. The eldest bosses the little one, and the little one follows because she’s just happy to be wanted.”
- Trouble struck in 2010 when Vernon issued an apology on his Radio 1 programme after reports that he had been sending explicit text messages to model Rhian Sugden for four months. “You may or may not be aware that, because of some foolish and stupid decision I have made, I have let down a lot of people. To my family and everybody, I am very sorry,” he said at the time.
- Three years later, in 2013, Tess and Vernon renewed their vows in honour of their 10th wedding anniversary in the South of France. Phoebe and Amber were both in attendance at the ceremony, which was a total surprise to Tess after Vernon organised it in secret.
- In a 2017 feature with The Times, Tess said, “Marriage is a work in progress. Vernon and I are just people, at the end of the day.”
- The couple released a joint statement on May 8 2026, announcing their separation after 22 years of marriage.
- The statement reads: “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.”
Keep up to date on the latest celebrity news by clicking here.
Want to see more of the stories you love from RSVP ? To add RSVP as a preferred source of news on Google, simply click here
