During one interview Vernon got candid about his family’s idyllic life in their six bedroom house – but admitted some telling home truths too
THERE was an audible gasp in the newsroom as the story broke that Vernon Kay and Tess Daly were splitting after 23 years of marriage late on Friday afternoon.
And I was more shocked than most because just two months ago I had been chatting with Vernon, 52, who Iâve known for 20 years, about his future plans with his wife now their two daughters Phoebe, 21, and 16-year-old Amber were more independent.
We were gossiping at the Brits afterparty at Soho House Manchester. There had been rumours swirling that ITV were keen to sign him and the former Strictly Come Dancing presenter up to host This Morning and I was keen to find out if he was interested.
He told me that he loved his daytime Radio 2 show too much to leave it and he was always happiest working at the BBC â where we first met when we worked together on Radio 1 back in 2006.
But Vernon admitted that he and Tess were keen to find a project they could do together, especially since their youngest daughter was preparing to leave home for uni.
He said: âWe hosted The One Show together and we really enjoyed it so we would love to do other things together. Weâd love to do a travel show. We are soon to be empty nesters so we are free to go away just the two of us.
âThe thing I love about Tess is sheâs got such an amazing business brain. Sheâs always planning what to do next.â
I definitely would not have predicted that night that what was coming next for the couple was them announcing their âamicableâ marital split in a joint statement last night.
They posted online: âAfter much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably.
âThis 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.
âWe remain great friends and, most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.
âThere are no other parties involved in this decision.â
They are understood to have decided to go public after returning from a Caribbean holiday last month.
I remember the first time I met Vernon, he was hosting the Saturday mid morning slot on Radio 1. I had been booked to work as an Assistant Producer on the show and was utterly thrilled to be working with someone I had grown up watching on T4.
And he didnât disappoint.
He was so charming and he treated me to Starbucks Frappuccino during the show â on the condition that I put some money into his parking meter on the way back to the radio station.
I was blown away how trusting he was when he pulled out his bank card and wrote his PIN number on a Post It advising me to withdraw ÂŁ50 and buy the coffees and use the change in the meter. Even now Iâm amazed I resisted the urge to check his bank balance!
After the show I was invited to the pub with him and the rest of the team to watch the FA Cup Semi-Final.
I canât remember who was playing but I remember how desperate Vernon was to leave before the match ended because Tess and the girls had got home early and he wanted to get back to them.
He brushed off the teasing from the team about being under the thumb. Being with his family made him the happiest.
It was the same when we gave his daughter, Phoebe, her first Fabulous cover. She posed alongside Vernon for Fatherâs Day in 2024.
He was beaming as he watched her on set. And it was a total family affair as throughout the day he was getting us to snap pictures of them to send to Tess who was at home. She was replying with praise and compliments for them both.
They all knew it was a big moment for Phoebe, who up until that point had lived her life quite out of the limelight.
Admiring a picture of one particularly smouldering pose, he joked: âIâll send that to the wife, show her how hot her husband can be!â
It feels sad now but at the end of the shoot, Vernon filmed a video message for my sister who was getting married a few weeks later offering her marital tips commenting he had over two decades of wisdom to share with her.
He said: âIâm gonna give you the same piece of advice that Tommy Lee from Motley Crew gave myself and Strictly Come Dancingâs Tess Daly on our wedding day â âNo matter what happens in your married life, may all your ups and downs be in the bedroom.ââ
During my interview he gave me an insight into their idyllic life in their six bedroom house in Buckinghamshire.
He said: âItâs a house of girls and me, which I imagine is different than one full of blokes thatâs all boisterous. With girls, you get arguments, but I think the peacemaker steps up sooner. Tess gets up before us. She likes to have a cup of tea and to sit and look at the garden until it hits quarter to seven, and then itâs like: âLet the circus begin.â Itâs a madhouse getting us all out the door.
âI get told off for watching too much sport, but I complain Gossip Girl is on again. Itâs stereotypical, Iâm afraid. Iâve tried many times to get the girls into sport â they like the razzmatazz, but not the game. When we visited the San Francisco training facility, all I could hear was: âHeâs cute.â But we play badminton and run together.â
When I interviewed Tess for her Fabulous cover in February 2023, it was clear family life was the most important thing to her.
She told me: âIn my mind, Iâm a mum and thatâs what Iâve been for 18 years and I manage to get out to work occasionally, but being a mum is so all-consuming. For me, itâs my most important role â thatâs what I am first and foremost. The first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing at night is my kidsâ well being and I bet any parent would agree with me.â
So I know even in their split Vernon and Tessâ main concern will be making sure Phoebe and Amber are ok.
