She’s often hailed as having one of the most naturally beautiful faces on TV, but last week Tess Daly left fans shocked after revealing she’d love to have a nose job. Speaking in an interview, Tess, 53, shared, “I’ve hated my nose since I was 15 years old. I broke it playing netball. I hate my profile. I’d love to change it, but I wouldn’t dare in case it just looked worse after. It’s something I’ve lived with – and I’m trying to concentrate on the good stuff.”
Tess first rose to fame as a model, before making her TV break as a presenter on The Big Breakfast in 1999. Now, the star has one of the best gigs in TV as one half of Strictly’s presenting duo, alongside co-host Claudia Winkleman – a role she’s enjoyed for 19 years.
However, Tess’ revelation over her self-confidence issues comes just three weeks after unkind comments that followed reports of her contract renewal – with her and Claudia believed to have signed another six-figure deal to present the hit BBC show. After news of the contracts broke, some fans of the show made cruel digs online about Tess’ presenting skills, calling her “unnatural”, “stiff”, and “wooden” – with some even claiming they would cancel their TV licence.
But after Tess recently revealed, “I enjoy myself too much to leave any time soon”, an insider says she is determined to prove her critics wrong and smash the next series.
A source says, “Strictly means the world to Tess – next year she will celebrate 20 years on the show and there’s no way she’s giving it up. It would break her heart to see anybody else host it, especially alongside Claudia, and she does her best to block out the haters.
“She’s adamant she doesn’t want it to be over for her. She’s been there from the beginning, starting out with the late Bruce Forsyth, and she will see it through to the end, which as far as she’s concerned will be if and when they finally pull the plug on it. This year, she’s going all-out to be at the top of her game, looking and feeling her best.”
And despite ups and downs in their 20-year marriage, Tess’ husband, presenter Vernon Kay, is her biggest supporter. The source adds, “Vernon knows how amazing she is – he’s told her she doesn’t need to do anything to change, and especially not surgery.” The pair share daughters Phoebe, 18, and Amber, 13, and while their relationship has stood the test of time, it hasn’t been without its struggles. Back in 2010, the couple were embroiled in a cheating scandal after Vernon, 48, was found to be messaging glamour model Rhian Sugden, 36. Despite the heartache, the pair moved on – with Vernon later admitting, “I’m so sorry. I’ve been an idiot and I’ve let my family down.”
But the couple have worked through it, and earlier this month Tess revealed, “We still sit down for dinner and have so much to talk about and we have a real laugh. I see his name come up on my phone and go, ‘Yay!’... [there’s] never a dull moment.”
