He took up a prime-time slot on Radio 2 last month, and Vernon Kay appears to be relishing his new adventure as he receives rave reviews for his show which pulls in eight million listeners.
And while his wife of 20 years, Tess Daly, 54, has been fully behind her husband’s new career move – following his unwavering support of her role as a presenter on Strictly Come Dancing since 2004 – sources say Vernon’s strict schedule has been “brutal” for Tess as their marriage hits a huge turning point.
The insider says, “There’s no denying that there’s been a big shift in Tess and Vernon’s marriage. For a long time she’s been the main breadwinner with the biggest job on Strictly – but that’s started to change now that he’s really making a name for himself on Radio 2.
“It’s a dream come true for him and something he is hoping will be long term, but it does mean he spends a lot of time away.
“That, combined with the fact their daughter Phoebe has left home to go university, has been particularly brutal for Tess. She can’t help thinking it won’t be long until Amber grows up and leaves too, then she’ll really be battling empty nest syndrome without Vernon by her side.”
Tess and Vernon, 49, have had one of the most enduring marriages in TV after meeting on children’s show T4 back in 2001, when they shared what she has since described as an “instant” connection and enjoyed a “pretty explosive” relationship. After welcoming their two daughters – Phoebe, 18, and Amber, 14 – they settled into their sprawling country home in Buckinghamshire.
But their love story was rocked by scandal in 2010, when Vernon admitted and publicly apologised for sending explicit text messages to glamour model Rhian Sugden.
In 2016, he was caught texting her again and a source claimed he’d been trying to arrange a meeting, but Vernon denied any wrongdoing and claimed he’d simply been “trying to find answers to questions I’ve had since 2010.”
Tess admitted in 2017, “All marriages have their moments. Marriage is a work in progress. Vernon and I are just people at the end of the day.”
But the source says that Tess has put the sexting affair behind her.
They add, “It’s not that she doesn’t trust Vernon, and it has nothing to do with the whole sexting scandal. That’s in the past as far as she’s concerned. But her pals are worried that not having Vernon around as much might be putting her into a bit of a tailspin.
“Tess is a real homebody and she has treasured her life at home with Vernon and the kids for so long. She doesn’t like change so it’s been a testing time for her”.
However, the couple have been enjoying a string of dates recently – with Tess sharing pictures on social media of her and Vernon enjoying Sunday walks together and partying at the coronation last month.
And the insider says Tess has laid down a set of “ground rules” to make sure that they prioritise spending time together in their busy work schedules.
The source says, “She’s putting down some ground rules like regular date nights, weekends away just the two of them, quality family time and constant communication within their marriage.
“Tess is loving the date nights and romantic meals. She’s really keen for them to have more structure as having him out of the house so much has really thrown her off guard.”