Tess Daly has been a familiar face on British television for more than two decades, so news of her separation travels fast. The couple announced on 8 May 2026 that they would separate amicably in a joint statement that BBC News (UK public broadcaster) carried, and this page separates what is confirmed from what is only reported about the split, her net worth, her Strictly years, her children and her age.
Known for: Presenting Strictly Come Dancing, 2004 to 2025 (BBC News, UK public broadcaster) · Marriage: Married Vernon Kay on 12 September 2003 (Evening Standard (London daily)) · Separation: Announced 8 May 2026 (BBC News, UK public broadcaster) · Honour: MBE for services to broadcasting, November 2025 (BBC News, UK public broadcaster)
Quick snapshot
- Separation announced in a joint statement on 8 May 2026, with no other parties involved (Irish News (Press Association report))
- Wedding on 12 September 2003 (Evening Standard, London daily) (Irish News (Press Association report))
- Two daughters, Phoebe (born October 2004) and Amber (born May 2009) (Irish News, Press Association report) (Irish News (Press Association report))
- Reason for the split, which the joint statement does not give (Irish News, Press Association report) (Daily Express (national tabloid))
- Combined fortune, reported at £6 million (Daily Express (national tabloid)) and around £10 million (Daily Mail (national tabloid))
- Some blogs deny the split, a claim that conflicts with the BBC report (briefingroom.uk (unverified blog))
- The couple met in 2001 at a BBC Christmas party while presenting for rival channels (The Times (national newspaper))
- Daly signed off Strictly in December 2025 after 21 years (BBC News, UK public broadcaster) (The Times (national newspaper))
- Metro reported on 24 August 2026 that Kay was moving out of the family home (Metro (London free daily))
- A family holiday in France was reported for September 2026 (Evening Standard (London daily))
- Phoebe is reportedly working with her mother on an undisclosed project (AOL (news aggregator))
- How the couple will divide their fortune is still being reported (Evening Standard (London daily))
Eight facts anchor the record, and one pattern runs through them: the dated markers from 2003 to 2025 stand on firmer ground than the press reports from 2026.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Known for | Television presenter who hosted Strictly Come Dancing (BBC News, UK public broadcaster) |
| Marriage | Married Vernon Kay on 12 September 2003 (Evening Standard, London daily) |
| Separation | Announced in a joint statement on 8 May 2026 (BBC News, UK public broadcaster) |
| Children | Phoebe (born October 2004) and Amber (born May 2009) (Irish News, Press Association report) |
| Date of birth | 29 March 1969, Stockport (Heart (commercial radio network)) |
| Honour | MBE for services to broadcasting, November 2025 (BBC News, UK public broadcaster) |
| Strictly exit | Signed off with Claudia Winkleman in December 2025 after 21 years (BBC News, UK public broadcaster) |
| Reported combined fortune | About £6 million, a Daily Mail-sourced figure (Daily Express, national tabloid) |
Why has Tess Daly split up?
The joint statement on 8 May 2026 confirmed the separation but gave no reason for it. The couple said there were no other parties involved, and that they would make no further public comments (Irish News, Press Association report; The Times, national newspaper).
Is Tess Daly still married to Vernon Kay?
- No. The couple have announced they will separate, so the marriage is ending (BBC News, UK public broadcaster).
- Most press reports describe the marriage as lasting 22 years at the split (Irish News, Press Association report), while The Independent (national daily) says 23.
- No legal divorce filing or decree appears in the reporting reviewed, so the legal end of the marriage is not yet verified.
What is unconfirmed about the reason?
- No cause is confirmed in the joint statement or in the reporting reviewed.
- An unnamed friend, relayed by the Evening Standard, linked the split to the couple’s five-year age gap and differing lifestyles. That is unverified tabloid sourcing (Evening Standard, London daily).
- Neither party has given an on-record cause, so any reason attributed to them is secondhand.
Editors should keep the age-gap explanation out of headlines, because it rests on an unnamed friend and no party has confirmed it. Readers who see it repeated elsewhere are seeing the same tabloid claim, not a second source.
The implication: until one of the two speaks on the record, the cause of the split stays open, and the only confirmed explanation is the joint statement itself.
How long did Tess Daly do Strictly?
Tess Daly presented Strictly Come Dancing from 2004 until November 2025, when she signed off after 21 years (BBC News, UK public broadcaster). The Independent reported in October 2025 that she and Claudia Winkleman would leave after that series (The Independent, national daily).
Her 21-year run is the duration to quote, and the 2025 exit date is the one to pair with it.
What did Tess Daly host besides Strictly?
- The One Show: co-hosted with Vernon Kay in February 2026, their first joint hosting of a programme in two decades (The Times, national newspaper)
- Made an MBE for services to broadcasting in November 2025 (BBC News, UK public broadcaster)
Strictly now belongs to the past, so Daly’s broadcasting record rests on her presenting roles and her 2025 honour. Coverage that leads with the split leaves out the credits that define her career.
The implication: cite the 21-year run to the BBC, since it is the only duration in this file with a Tier 1 source.
What is Tess Daly’s net worth?
No verified net worth figure appears in the reporting reviewed, so every number below is a press estimate.
What income sources are publicly reported for Tess Daly?
- Strictly earnings reported at around £400,000 a year, against around £395,000 a year for Vernon Kay’s BBC Radio 2 pay (Evening Standard, London daily)
- Income from beauty endorsements and the swimwear brand NAIA Beach (Evening Standard, London daily)
- A combined fortune of about £6 million (Daily Express, national tabloid)
- A combined figure of around £10 million, which conflicts with the £6 million estimate (Daily Mail, national tabloid)
- An individual estimate of £4 million, from a low-confidence source (briefingroom.uk, unverified blog)
The catch: a £6 million figure and a £10 million figure cannot both describe the same couple, so the number stays a tabloid estimate until accounts or a court filing settle it.
Does Tess Daly have children?
Yes. Irish News reports two daughters, Phoebe, born in October 2004, and Amber, born in May 2009 (Irish News, Press Association report).
- Phoebe is reportedly working with her mother on an undisclosed project, according to an August 2026 report (AOL, news aggregator).
- Reports from 2026 give Amber’s age as 16 or 17, depending on publication date (AOL (news aggregator)).
- Both parents called their children their priority in the joint statement (Irish News, Press Association report).
The pattern: both parents put the girls first in their statement, so keep the children’s details to what the parents have said publicly.
How old is Tess Daly?
Heart gives Tess Daly’s date of birth as 29 March 1969, in Stockport (Heart, commercial radio network). Counting from that date, she was 57 on 2 September 2026, the most recent dated report reviewed for this article.
When was Tess Daly born, and what does that age rest on?
- Age on 2 September 2026: 57 years, calculated from the birth date above.
- Vernon Kay’s birth date is reportedly 28 April 1974, a single low-confidence figure that puts him about five years younger (briefingroom.uk, unverified blog).
- No official birth record appears in the reporting reviewed, so her age rests on one radio network’s date.
The catch: an age built on a single secondary report holds only as long as that date holds, so check it against an official birth record before quoting it as fact.
Timeline of the marriage and the split
The dated record runs from a 2001 meeting to a September 2026 holiday, and the entries thin out as they approach the present.
- 2001: The couple met while presenting for rival channels, at a BBC Christmas party (The Times, national newspaper).
- Christmas 2002: The Times reports that Kay proposed at Daly’s parents’ home (The Times, national newspaper).
- 12 September 2003: The couple married at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Horwich (Evening Standard, London daily).
- 2004: Daly began co-presenting Strictly Come Dancing (BBC News, UK public broadcaster).
- October 2025: Daly and Winkleman announced their Strictly exit (The Independent, national daily).
- December 2025: Daly signed off Strictly after 21 years (BBC News, UK public broadcaster).
- February 2026: The couple co-hosted The One Show (The Times, national newspaper).
- 8 May 2026: The joint separation statement was published on Instagram (BBC News, UK public broadcaster).
- 24 August 2026: Metro reported that Kay was moving out of the family home (Metro, London free daily).
- September 2026: A family holiday in France was reported (Evening Standard, London daily).
The pattern: the record is solid up to the 2025 Strictly exit, but everything after 8 May 2026 comes from press reports rather than from the couple or a court.
Confirmed facts and open questions
Confirmed facts
- Separation announced in a joint statement on 8 May 2026 (BBC News, UK public broadcaster)
- Married on 12 September 2003 (Evening Standard, London daily)
- Daughters Phoebe (born October 2004) and Amber (born May 2009) (Irish News, Press Association report)
- Daly stepped down from Strictly in December 2025 after 21 years (BBC News, UK public broadcaster)
- Daly made an MBE for services to broadcasting in November 2025 (BBC News, UK public broadcaster)
What’s unclear
- The reason for the split, which the joint statement does not give (Irish News, Press Association report)
- Net worth, reported at £6 million (Daily Express, national tabloid) and at around £10 million (Daily Mail, national tabloid)
- Whether the divorce has been filed or finalised, since no court record appears in the reporting reviewed
- Amber’s exact age, which varies by publication date (AOL, news aggregator)
- Whether Vernon Kay has moved out of the family home, as Metro reported on 24 August 2026 (Metro, London free daily)
Why this matters: the confirmed column is short but dated and attributed, so it can carry a headline, while the open column is where most of the press noise sits.
What the couple and Daly have said
Three on-record statements carry the weight here, and none of them names a cause.
“After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably.”
Tess Daly and Vernon Kay, joint statement (BBC News, UK public broadcaster)
“We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream.”
Tess Daly, announcing her Strictly exit (The Independent, national daily)
“Worth fighting for… 10 great years together… two beautiful kids.”
Tess Daly, reacting to the 2010 scandal (Irish News, Press Association report)
The implication: the only statement both parties signed explains nothing about the cause, which leaves every press reason without an on-record anchor.
Where the record stands
The separation is the one personal development this file confirms from both parties, and it came with no reason and no further comment. Her net worth, the children’s ages and the post-split moves all rest on press reports that disagree, from the £6 million figure in the Daily Express to the £10 million in the Daily Mail. Readers who quote Tess Daly’s finances should cite the £6 million figure with its tabloid attribution, or wait for a filed disclosure, because the two reports cannot both be right.
Related reading: Mary Nightingale: Age, Career, Voice and Health Rumors · Tomasz Schafernaker: BBC Meteorologist, Age, Marriage & Art
Frequently asked questions
Has Tess Daly’s divorce been finalised?
No court filing or decree appears in the reporting reviewed. The joint statement describes a separation, not a completed divorce (BBC News, UK public broadcaster).
Does Tess Daly have a disability?
None of the reporting reviewed mentions a disability, so there is no verified answer either way.
What is Tess Daly’s real name?
Heart reports her real name as Helen (Heart, commercial radio network).
What is Tess Daly known for on television?
She hosted Strictly Come Dancing for 21 years and co-hosted The One Show with Vernon Kay in February 2026 (The Times, national newspaper).
When was Tess Daly made an MBE?
She was made an MBE for services to broadcasting in November 2025 (BBC News, UK public broadcaster).
How long were Tess Daly and Vernon Kay married?
Most press reports say 22 years at the split, and The Independent says 23 (The Independent, national daily). The wedding took place on 12 September 2003 (Evening Standard, London daily).
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Edward Davies Bennett is Editor-in-Chief and Responsible Publisher at Insight Britain, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and the corrections process.