She’s been the host of Strictly Come Dancing for 18 years, and Tess Daly has often been praised for the glamour and glitz she brings to each live show. This year, in particular, fans have showered the 53-year-old with compliments, describing her as a “goddess” and saying she looks “sensational”.
But along with the hugely flattering comments, fans have also brought up Tess’ husband Vernon Kay’s past misdemeanours, including sexting former Page Three glamour model Rhian Sugden back in 2010.
Under a stunning picture of Tess, one fan cruelly wrote, “Bet Vernon is still swiping right!”, while another wrote that she was “well past her best.”
Insiders say that Tess – who is set to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary with Vernon next September – feels hurt by the nasty jibes and is still haunted by her husband’s mistakes.
Our source says, “Everyone may think Tess’ confidence is through the roof given how incredible she’s looking, but it’s a very different story behind closed doors.
“She sees the comments and they hurt deeply – reminding her of the darkest time in her life when she was at rock bottom and her marriage almost fell apart.
“Of course she loves Vernon and knows he’s done nothing wrong, but she’s still haunted by the most difficult time in their marriage and it’s as if she’ll never be able to escape it.”
Soon after the sexting scandal made headlines, Vernon issued a public apology to his family, referencing his “foolish and stupid decisions”, and how sorry he was to “let a lot of people down.” He and Tess put on a unified front, even renewing their wedding vows in 2013, but it was a shock to their marriage.
In 2016, their relationship hit another rocky patch when Vernon was forced to issue a second statement after 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.”
And the following year, Tess admitted that after 15 years of marriage, she and Vernon were still working on their relationship. She said, “All marriages have their moments. Marriage is a work in progress. Vernon and I are just people, at the end of the day.”
Vernon also recently revealed on a podcast that he’s only “80 per cent content.”
He said, “This day and age, we’re all searching for perfection and perfection doesn’t exist. I believe it doesn’t exist.”
The insider adds that the reminders of Vernon’s past behaviour continue to create unnecessary stress and tension between the two of them, but Tess’ friends have told her to rise above it and focus on how strong they are as a couple and what they have weathered together throughout the years.
“She and Vernon have done a huge amount of work to heal those wounds and get to the place they’re in today, but with it being brought up again every time she’s in the spotlight for Strictly, it’s as if she’s having to relive the nightmare and go through all that trauma again. This understandably puts her and Vernon under more stress and creates tension.
“She knows there’s nothing Vernon can do as he can’t change the past, but the confidence she exudes on Strictly is being hampered by the trolling and is creating an element of anxiety and paranoia about whether he’s doing it again.
“Her friends have urged her to ignore the comments and stop reading them – insisting they’re just bitter and jealous given how strong their marriage is now, but it’s been tough and it’s hard to move on from this. It’s a ghost that she has to learn to live with.
“She has to just rise above it and not let it get between them. Now is the time for her to focus on the undivided love and connection they have for each other.”