Tess Daly on tension and rows behind closed doors

The Strictly star opens up about the recent friction she’s been experiencing at home as she reveals the secrets to her incredible looks

tess daly

by closer |
Published on

Tess Daly shared pics of her recent birthday celebrations with her fans on Instagram – beaming and looking incredibly youthful as she marked turning 55 while looking like a 20-something.

But despite her joy – and regularly posting images of her happy family life – Tess has revealed that, behind closed doors, there’s tension after a series of disagreements with eldest daughter, Phoebe, 19, who is ‘giving her hell’.

Strictly Come Dancing host Tess says the teenager is fuming with her mum for giving away some of her classic designer outfits instead of keeping them back for her to wear in the future. And she was so upset, she even blasted her famous mum, “How could you!”

Talking to Closer at the launch of her new fashion exhibition with Biba, Tess, 55, revealed, “I had tons of vintage stuff. I used to have a storage unit because I couldn’t fit the clothes in my wardrobe and then I thought it was silly because I wasn’t wearing it, so I ended up giving most of it away to friends.

“So now, Phoebe is giving me hell over it and says, ‘Mum, how could you?’.” She added, “She looks at me like she’s going to kill me because she wished I could have kept it all!”

Tess, who’s also mum to Amber, 14, with her husband and radio DJ Vernon Kay, recently celebrated her birthday with her family, posting pictures on her Instagram of a delicious looking cake along with cards, gifts and even a birthday sash!

The star is now busy planning another family birthday as Vernon is set to turn 50 later this month. The star tells us, “It’s his birthday soon and I have absolutely no idea what to buy him! He’s really into memorabilia – American football and sports – so I’ll probably get him some stuff. He also likes memorabilia from rock bands.”

Fashion has always been something Tess has loved throughout her career, having just launched her own swimwear line Naia Beach. But despite the star always looking impeccable on and off screen, she told us she rarely buys designer.

“My first biggest designer fashion spend was on a Prada bag. I was young and I saved up for it,” she told us.

“I was living at home so I could afford extravagant purchases then. It was my first six months’ wages. It’s quite a good idea to save and buy.” She continued, “I don’t take things for granted now. You have to really look after those expensive pieces but these days I’m in Zara most of the time.

“Now I tend less towards faddy fashions and more towards investment buying. If I’m going to splurge, I want it to stand the test of time – good coats, good shoes, good handbags,” she added.

“I’ve got Equipment silk shirts that I bought in Paris back in 1999 and they look just as good today. I love Anya Hindmarch bags, especially her clutches – her designs are so witty – and Marc Jacobs, which I often buy from The Outnet.

“But if I want a bright yellow or electric-blue jacket, I’ll pick one up from Zara and it will look great all season. Britain has the best high street shops in the world bar none. We’ve got real value for money fashion here, and it’s definitely good to mix things up a little.”

Tess, who looks fabulous in gorgeous outfits by the likes of Stella McCartney, Simkhai and Roland Mouret on Strictly, always paired with stunning shoes, also told us that off-screen she’s actually ditched the heels.

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“I have about 60 pairs of shoes but the problem with my shoe collection is that they’re high heels. They are gathering dust as I run everywhere in trainers these days,” she said.

“I wear them for meetings and for the studio and I just put the high heels on for TV. I will put them on if I have dinner with the girls, but to be honest, it is all about the comfort.”

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