Tess Daly gives rare parenting update with Vernon Kay and admits who is stricter

31 December 2023 , 11:46

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Tess Daly says she and Vernon make a good team at home (Image: Getty Images)

Tess Daly says husband Vernon Kay is the strict one when it comes to their kids as she gives a rare insight into the couple's home life.

The TV stars share daughters Phoebe, 17, and Amber, 14 and as you would expect, a house full of teenagers is never easy all the time. But Tess says the man of the house is the one who keeps order with the BBC Radio 2 host more of a disciplinarian when it comes to the chlildren.

Tess spoke to OK! Magazine about what goes on in their Buckinghamshire mansion and says Vernon is a brilliant dad. In 2020, he gave fans a glimpse into the special relationship he shares them both on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and his wife says they're a top team and the family dynamic just works.

They're determined to hep mould Phoebe and Amber into 'good humans' (tessdaly / Instagram)

“As a mum, I just want to be as present as I can be. I pride myself on that,” she told OK! “Teenagers don’t always want to talk to you, but even if you’re just physically there in the room with them… I’ll plonk myself there quietly in the corner. You’ve got two little people who have become young adults. It’s amazing and constantly rewarding. I love being a mum – it’s my most important job."

She went on: “Vernon is a great dad – he loves them to bits. I don’t know if there’s a good cop, bad cop, but maybe he’s a little stricter sometimes. But it’s for the greater good and we’re a good team. I’m proud of how down to earth they are. That’s what you want – kids who are kind and who have a good work ethic and respect people. You just try to mould good humans.”

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In 2016, the Strictly star vowed to stand by her husband after he was caught sending sexy texts to a glamour model years before. Tess accused then 29-year-old Rhian Sugden of cashing in after claims Vernon tried to set up a hotel tryst. Tess said: "I won’t let this woman ruin my marriage."

Tess revealed exclusively to the Mirror that they were “working through" the 2010 scandal and their marriage was back on track. But, she admits, it hasn’t been easy. “You can certainly say it’s been an eventful year,” she says. "I’m not going to lie and pretend I wasn’t absolutely devastated at the time.

“It was one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to face. But you have to make a decision. I thought, ‘Do I walk away, or do we decide to stick together, work it out, move on?’ And we came to the decision that there was enough to stay together for – our family – and the love was still intact. We’ve moved on and now we’re in a really good place. It was a rough ride for a while, but now we’re happy.”

Sam Elliott-Gibbs