'She's seething. This split isn't as amicable as everyone is saying': Friends reveal ugly new war between Tess Daly and Vernon Kay... and how she has been unable to shake off ghosts of the past

By KATIE HIND, CONSULTANT EDITOR SHOWBUSINESS Published: 01:55, 17 May 2026 | Updated: 01:55, 17 May 2026 Posing together for a selfie outside Television Centre in West London, Tess Daly and her now-estranged husband, Vernon Kay, grinned broadly.  The photograph, in front of the former BBC HQ, was posted on Instagram just ten weeks ago and Tess, seemingly in a nostalgic mood, wrote alongside it: ‘Back where it all began at Television Centre always brings back such lovely memories.’ It was a direct reference to her 25-year love story with Vernon. The venue, now used by ITV and other broadcasters after the Corporation moved to Salford in 2010, is the couple’s ‘special place’, say friends, because it was where they first met at a Christmas party in 2001. At the time, both were still climbing the ladder, working as children’s presenters for rival channels. Perhaps neither could have imagined themselves where they are today, among the BBC’s biggest stars. But the candid snap, posted so recently, also suggests they could not have foreseen just how quickly their marriage was to unravel. For although the couple are insisting that their split is amicable, following a period of thought and reflection, I can reveal that, in fact, it was much more sudden. And Tess, it is fair to say, is seething. Vernon Kay and Tess Daly share a nostalgic snap in front of their 'special place', Television Centre, where they first met at a BBC Christmas party in 2001 When the pair met, they were both children’s presenters still climbing the ladder. Perhaps neither could have imagined themselves where they are today. (Pictured together in 2002) Last Sunday, I received a call from someone in Tess and Vernon’s friendship circles to tell me that they’d read far too much ‘c***’ about how they’d happily decided to call an end to their marriage. Claims were made that the couple had toasted their separation over a glass of champagne, and that their split – which came very much as a surprise to everyone in the industry – was actually a result of them gradually realising they had become very different people to the ones they were on Christmas Day 2002 when Vernon proposed. But the less varnished version, according to those close to Tess and Vernon, could cause things to get rather ugly. They point out that a briefing war between friends of the pair has already broken out. Those on Team Tess are said to be furious at Vernon because, at the heart of his estranged wife’s anger, is Rhian Sugden, the former Page 3 model whom Vernon was revealed to have been ‘sexting’ in 2010. They say ‘the ghost of Rhian’ has hung over their marriage ever since – and add that Tess believes Vernon may have attempted to renew contact with her more recently – an allegation Team Vernon profusely denies. While there is no suggestion anything untoward has ever taken place between him and Rhian, it’s something that Tess has struggled to remove from her mind. ‘Tess isn’t as chilled about the split as is being put out there,’ says a source familiar with the couple. ‘She has gone along with the announcement and has publicly remained silent but in fact she isn’t very happy at all with Vernon. ‘Rhian, through no fault of her own, has been a constant in their marriage and recently, friends of Tess have been talking about how her ghost has returned. Tess tried so hard to get over it at the time. It took everything out of her to move on and forget about Rhian. ‘Vernon apologised. He said all the right things and promised it wouldn’t happen again. At the time the children were little – Amber was tiny – and the girls needed their mum and dad together so Tess forgave, but she hasn’t forgotten. Not at all. It matters more than anyone outside their marriage could imagine. Tess seethes about it all. It wasn’t a nice time and she has felt that it has been hanging over them ever since.’ Those on Team Tess are said to be furious at Vernon because, the 'ghost' of his affair from 2010 has hung over their marriage ever since Some believe Vernon may have recently attempted to renew contact with Rhian Sugden – the former Page 3 model whom he was caught ‘sexting’. An allegation Team Vernon fiercely denies Today, Manchester-based Rhian is married to former Coronation Street actor Oliver Mellor, with whom she has a two-year-old son, George. For years, she has taken the view that her life was destroyed when her and Vernon’s friendship was exposed after they met in a nightclub in his hometown of Bolton. After they swapped phone numbers, it emerged that Vernon, a former model, had been sending explicit text messages to Rhian. The presenter was forced to apologise live on radio after he admitted sending inappropriate messages. Stating that he had never had a physical affair, he nevertheless acknowledged that texting Rhian had been a ‘stupid decision’. He added: ‘I have let down a lot of people. To my family and everybody, I am very sorry.’ Meanwhile, Rhian, breaking her silence on the matter in 2016, admitted she had been left ‘feeling sick’ over the fallout. She felt that Vernon – who, ironically, went on to work on Family Fortunes – was able simply to ‘carry on’. She said: ‘He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me. I felt like I was going up and up with my career and then that came along. I wish I’d never met him.’ Indeed, Tess’s suspicion that the past may still be hanging over her marriage may explain why she and Vernon appeared to be at odds with one another during their recent holiday to Jamaica. Vernon was seen sitting alone while Tess spent time with her daughters, walking along the stretch of beach close to the luxury Jamaica Inn resort in the coastal town of Ocho Rios. She was seen paddleboarding alone, too. Tess used the holiday, which is understood to have been planned before the couple decided to split, to take photographs for her NAIA beachwear range, which were shared on Instagram. While Vernon posted a photograph of himself wearing swimming trunks from her brand, tellingly there were no snaps of the couple together. ‘Tess isn’t amused,’ says a friend. ‘A decision to split was taken faster than is being let on. The holiday was an ending of sorts.’ Although the couple went on holiday to Jamaica recently, they were not pictured together. But Vernon posted a photo wearing swimming trunks from Tess's beachwear brand NAIA  They married at St Mary’s Catholic Church near Bolton in 2003. Both came from very little, but friends of Vernon’s say that Tess has ‘changed’ since then and has 'ideas of grandeur' Vernon’s laddish ways are said to have been a hindrance to Tess. One source said, ‘Vernon loves a drink...Tess likes a bit more decorum'. (Pictured: Vernon partying with Gene Gallagher) I’m told she is being supported by a group of close-knit friends, as well as her former Strictly sidekick Claudia Winkleman. The news of their split was posted to Instagram a little over a week ago, leaving fans stunned. The identical statements were penned, I understand, with the help of their PR team, and released last Friday evening so the news was out before their eldest daughter Phoebe, 21, flew back to New York where she lives. It began: ‘After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably. This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a place of mutual understanding and a shared desire of what is best for both of us...’ The statement – which stressed ‘there are no other parties involved’ – came almost 23 years after they tied the knot in September 2003, following less than two years of dating. They married at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Horwich, near Bolton, where Vernon spent his childhood. Phoebe was born the following year, and they welcomed Amber in 2009. As a couple, they were adored by the public and lauded for their down-to-earth manner. Both came from very little but became a television power couple who accumulated a fortune of more than £6 million – including their stunning £4 million home in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. But friends of Vernon’s say that Tess has ‘changed’ and has ‘ideas of grandeur’ that go beyond him and their friendship group. ‘Tess wants to posh herself up,’ says one. ‘For a long time her friends have said that Vernon’s laddish ways have been a hindrance to where she wants to be when it comes to socialising. ‘For example, you wouldn’t think that Tess and Vernon would be Claudia Winkleman and her husband’s cup of tea. ‘But Tess would like to be moving in those circles which is Vernon’s worst nightmare. ‘Vernon loves a drink – many times he’s been the last person standing at a party. He loves a laugh and loud banter. Tess likes a bit more decorum these days. He wears a bucket hat, she wears Jimmy Choo stilettos, that’s how different they are. ‘But Vernon will always want to wear a bucket hat and Tess will always want her Jimmy Choos.’ Last week Vernon carried on as normal, hosting his Radio 2 mid-morning show and cheering on his beloved Bolton Wanderers football team, who made it to the League One play-off final at Wembley where they will ironically face Stockport County – Tess’s home team. But the pair put footballing (and marital) rivalry aside as they were spotted together among a bevy of friends at Pub In The Park, a food festival in Marlow, near their home. So what’s next for the pair? I’m told it’s likely Vernon will want to move to London to avoid the commute into work. Meanwhile, Tess – who has been seen wearing her wedding ring (something my source describes as ‘surprising’) – is having a ‘gap year’, a decision she made after quitting Strictly last year. Those close to her hope she will also find a more mature man. ‘We all want her to find someone more like her to make new memories with,’ says a friend. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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