Vernon Kay Reveals “Real Reason” Tess Daly Married Him in Surprising Confession
Vernon Kay reckons his quirky personality is the reason Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly fell for him in the first place. Chatting on-air with Scott Mills on Friday, the 50-year-old confessed to his love of dressing up—so much so that he recently splashed out on a rhinestone cowboy suit. Curious about the unusual purchase, Scott asked, “Have you actually? Where are you going to wear that?”
“Well… I don’t know, I honestly don’t know,” Vernon admitted before revealing, “I ain’t gonna lie, Scott Mills, I like dressing up. I have a trunk full of Star Wars costumes, Halloween costumes—I love dressing up, and I don’t mind.” And it’s not just for parties. Vernon happily admitted that he’s been known to pop down to the local supermarket fully dressed as a movie character, reported Bristol Live.
Scott quipped, “I bet Tess loves it,” prompting Vernon to laugh and reply, “Oh, she thinks I’m a bit weird. I think that’s why she married me, to be honest.” Scott took a nostalgic turn, referencing how long the couple had been together: “Of course, that was the case 20-odd years ago.”
Vernon playfully threw it back to their early days, joking about their first kiss: “Snogging on the balcony at Fabric [nightclub], ‘Oh, you’re weird. ’” The pair first met in 2001 at a BBC Christmas party and tied the knot two years later. They became parents in 2004 when they welcomed their first daughter, Phoebe, now 20, followed by their second daughter, Amber, 15.
In 2023, they celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary, and Tess revealed that after all these years, Vernon still makes her feel butterflies. Answering fans in a Q&A, she shared, “I see when his name comes up on my phone, I’m like ‘yay. ’ We have a good laugh—he’s always messing about, dancing and singing in the kitchen. Never a dull moment.”
Vernon has also been open about the ups and downs of their relationship. While appearing on Annie Mac’s Changes podcast, he described their marriage as a “roller coaster” but said communication is key.
“I’ve learned that it’s really difficult to talk, but it’s really easy to talk. You’ve got to bite your lip and just go, ‘I’m gonna say this’,” he explained. Rather than letting things build up, Vernon said they always find time to sit down and talk things through, even if it’s over a simple cup of tea.
“Put the kettle on, say it. ‘I don’t think we should be doing this. Maybe what if we do that?’ I’m feeling this, dah dah dah, you know what I mean?” he shared. “Communication is the most important thing in anything, and in particular, in a relationship.” With their playful banter and long-lasting love, it seems Vernon’s ‘weirdness’ has worked in his favour after all.