BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay has shown his support for wife Tess Daly’s decision to leave Strictly Come Dancing after over 20 years with a simple response to her announcement
After over 20 years hosting Strictly Come Dancing, Tess Daly has decided to leave the show. Her husband, Vernon Kay, has shown his support for her decision via a simple but sweet message.
Tess’ announcement came through on Thursday (23 October) morning, as week five of Strictly gets underway. In a video filmed with Claudia Winkleman, Tess revealed that she and Claudia would not be returning to the show for the next series.
Tess then posted a long statement to Instagram, explaining her decision. She said: “After 21 unforgettable years, the time has come to say goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing.”
She added that the show has felt like a “second family” and had a huge impact on her life. Throughout the statement, she reminisced about her time co-hosting with Bruce Forsyth, how in awe she was of the dancers and thanked fans for watching.
Tess ended by saying: “This isn’t a goodbye to glitter, sequins or Saturday night sparkle (I could never say goodbye to those!). Strictly will forever hold a special place in my heart – but it does feel like the right time to hand over the reins.”
Her husband, BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay, initially only posted a screenshot to his Instagram Stories of the BBC News coverage, but then commented his support for Tess on her post.
Along with many fans and Strictly stars thanking the host for her time on the show, Vernon commented a string of hearts to show his support.
The couple have been married since 2003, the year before Tess would host the first series of Strictly. They have two daughters together.
Tess’ exit from Strictly comes just after both she and Claudia were awarded MBEs for services to broadcasting in the King’s 2025 birthday honours. The two made a pact to leave the show together.
In their joint video explaining their exit, Tess and Claudia said: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.
“We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show.”
But while both have praised Strictly in their statements, their split from the show comes after a series of scandals. The show was the subject of a review last year after Amanda Abbington made bully and harassment claims against pro-dancer Giovanni Pernice.
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