The signs pointing to Tess Daly and Vernon Kay’s marriage split

TV’s golden couple, Tess Daly and Vernon Kay, have shocked the nation after announcing their split after 23 years of marriage.

Although the news has come as a surprise to many, there have been small indications that the couple has been growing apart and leading separate lives for some time.

Strange social media behaviour

It appears as though Tess was there the same night, although she only uploaded a solo snap with the caption: ‘A beautiful evening with great company, and great food.’
And two weeks prior, they posted a selfie together as they entered the BBC building with the caption: ‘Back where it all began at Television Centre.

Always brings back such lovely memories.’
The pair famously met at a BBC Christmas party in 2001.

Tess Daly and Vernon Kay's split statement in full

'After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably.

‘We remain great friends and most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.

‘There are no other parties involved in this decision.

‘We kindly ask for privacy during this time as we navigate this transition together.

‘We will not be making any further public comments.’

Meanwhile, over on Vernon’s page, there are no snaps of Tess, but she did comment some heart eyes emojis on a video compilation of his trip to New York at the end of February.

Interviews about family

In January, she made little mention of her husband in an interview with Hello magazine about what the next stage of her life looks like, instead focusing on the power of female friendship.

Elsewhere, in an interview with The Times at the end of April, Vernon was open about family life and the shifting dynamics now that their children are older.

Tess Daly and Vernon Kay's relationship - key events

2001 - Tess and Vernon meet while Vernon is working at Channel 4 and Tess is at ITV
2004 - first daughter Phoebe is born
2009 - second daughter Amber is born
2010 - Vernon admits to sending explicit messages to Page 3 model Rhian Sugden and other women for four months
2010 - a month later, Tess addresses the sexting scandal, insisting that their marriage was 'worth fighting' for
2013 - Vernon surprises Tess with a vow renewal in the South of France, 10 years on from their first wedding
2017 - Tess says their marriage is a constant 'work in progress'
2020 - appearing on I'm A Celebrity...

Get Me Out Of Here!, Vernon says his infidelity is 'in the past' and has been 'forgotten about', adding that they've 'moved on'
2025 - Vernon celebrates as Tess receives her MBE in one of their final major public appearances together
February 2026 - the couple appear on screens together for the last time, co-hosting BBC's The One Show
May 2026 - Tess and Vernon announce that, 'after much consideration', they have separated 'amicably'
‘Now that Phoebe is 21 and Amber is nearly 17, our relationship with them is changing.

‘We talk about encouraging them to leave the nest and be independent, but we don’t really want them to.

You have to learn to enter their world, and that world has pitfalls that just didn’t exist for us,’ he reflected.

Post-Strictly life

‘Tess always put Vernon and the girls first, and now she wants to be a bit selfish and make the most of their situation and her newfound freedom,’ a source told Closer.

She’s also concentrating on her newly-launched sportswear brand.

NAIA Active, under her company, which she runs with partner and best friend Gayle Lawton.

What is Tess and Vernon’s current relationship status?

In 2010, Vernon admitted to sexting page three model Rhian Sugden and other women for four months, just a year after Amber was born.

Although it is not clear exactly what motivated them to part ways now, it’s clear they are both navigating vast life changes.

As for their current relationship status, they confirmed in their statement: ‘We remain great friends and most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.’
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