Their relationship struggles have hit the headlines over the years, but Tess Daly and Vernon Kay have always weathered those storms and come out stronger. However, the couple’s relationship found itself in the spotlight yet again after Vernon candidly revealed he’s still searching for contentment in life.
Speaking on The Mid-Point with Gabby Logan podcast last month, Vernon, 48, confessed, “I don’t think I have contentment. That’s the one thing… I think I know when I would get there.” He added, “In this day and age we’re all searching for perfection, and perfection doesn’t exist. You can be the best or you can do the best that you can but it will never be perfect.”
But insiders say Vernon’s frank admission has upset his wife of 19 years. A source tells Closer, “Tess couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed with what Vernon said, even though it was nothing to do with their marriage or relationship, as she knows it will get picked up on and their past problems will be brought up. She’s told him to think before he speaks as she gets embarrassed by comments like this.”
Vernon also seemed to lament men not being able to be “blokey” anymore, saying, “Do you think society no longer allows a male to be a bloke? I guess what I’m trying to say is, can males be a bit raucous, a bit obnoxious? Can we sit down in the pub these days and have a conversation among ourselves without it offending anyone?”
The source adds that Tess gets frustrated at him being so candid without realising what it can sound like. “He’s always very open and honest in conversations, so things will come out. She knows he didn’t mean anything serious by it, but it’s still caused a bit of tension between them.”
Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess, 53, and Vernon first met at the BBC’s annual Christmas party in 1999, with Tess later revealing there was an instant connection, saying, “It was all quite immediate, really. We instantly had such a blast together. It was pretty explosive.”
Four years later, the couple got hitched at St Mary’s Church in Horwich and now live in a six-bedroom home – complete with a gym and pool – in Buckinghamshire with their two daughters Phoebe, 18 and Amber, 13.
In 2010, Vernon admitted to exchanging reportedly sexually explicit messages with glamour model Rhian Sugden. He issued a public apology to his family, referencing his “foolish and stupid decisions” and declared how sorry he was to have “let a lot of people down.”
Three years after the scandal, Vernon whisked Tess and their two daughters to France where he’d secretly planned a vow renewal ceremony, 10 years after they got married. He’d even arranged for Tess’ stylist to have a selection of bridal dresses for her to choose from.
Then, in 2016, Vernon was forced to issue a second statement when Rhian claimed he had been back in touch and tried to plan a hotel meet-up. Vernon said at the time, “I recognise how it may look when messages are pulled out of context, but there was never any inappropriate intent to our communication. I was merely trying to find answers to questions that I’ve had since 2010. Tess is aware of everything that has been discussed with Rhian.” Tess later said, “All marriages have their moments. Marriage is a work in progress. Vernon and I are just people, at the end of the day.”
Closer recently reported how this time of year – with Strictly back on our screens – can be tricky for the couple, as Vernon is more of the house husband and Tess is busy at work. And insiders say that Tess believes this is what sparked Vernon’s comments, so she’s bitten her tongue and reminded Vernon that they’ll find more of a balance once the show is over for another year.
The source adds, “Tess knows Vernon is really ambitious, but right now it’s her work that comes first. Tess is quite content in her life with a happy marriage, two daughters, the Strictly job and a few other adverts. But Vernon has a lot more dreams for his career and he’s told her that while he’s happy in his home life, he still has goals he wants to achieve with work. Tess totally values his support and they’ve agreed to find more of a balance once 2022 and Strictly is over, so that he doesn’t say anything else that could be misconstrued.”