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

Tess Daly and Vernon Kay dropped the bombshell news that they were separating earlier this week (Picture: Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

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

The duo, who share two daughters, Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16, said they were ‘amicably’ parting ways in a joint statement yesterday, adding that ‘no other parties were involved in the decision’ and it was through ‘mutual understanding and shared desire’.

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

Most notably, just this week, their daughter Phoebe visited from New York, and the pair enjoyed some solo quality time with their daughter.

The former Strictly Come Dancing host, 57, shared snaps of herself and Phoebe enjoying some ice cream with the caption: ‘Got my Phoebe back for a few days and making the most of every moment’, while the Radio 2 star, 52, took her out for drinks at a rooftop bar.

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.’

They shared separate pictures of their time with NYC daughter Phoebe, in London (Picture: Instagram/Tess Daly)

In fact, the last time the couple shared any pictures together was 10 weeks ago when they co-hosted The One Show in a one-off special.

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.

They were all at the same rooftop bar, but posted different pictures from the night (Picture: Instagram/ Vernon Kay) In fact, it’s been weeks since they’ve been seen on each other’s main grid (Picture: Instagram/ Tess Daly)

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.

Elsewhere, Tess celebrated her birthday five weeks ago and shared a series of pictures from the day, although Vernon was nowhere to be seen, with friends offering their birthday wishes in the comments.

While the pair have shared regular insights into their family life over the years, they aren’t always so keen to publicly share their private lives.

In 2021, Vernon told one fan who accused him and Tess of living separate lives that ‘pictures of our family life are all labelled nicely on an iPad or in Apple photo books for us to share, as a family. No need to invite the world into our home life, some do, but it’s not for us.’

Interviews about family

Tess has been facing some major life changes in recent months, as she also closed her Strictly chapter after 22 years hosting the flagship BBC series.

Vernon has been open about their changing as their daughters leave home and Tess looks to life post-Strictly (Picture: Getty)

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.

She shared: ‘I’m also hoping for the chance to have a bit of a girls’ trip away with my friends – that’s been a long time coming.’

Although, after attending her MBE ceremony in November with her family, she reflected that the day was ‘made all the more emotional since I got to share it with Vernon and our daughters.’

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.

‘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

Insiders have shared Tess is keen to travel the world this year (Picture: Guy Levy/BBC/PA Wire)

Sources close to Tess also recently revealed she was eager to travel the world for a year after leaving Strictly, an adventure Vernon wouldn’t be able to join due to his own work commitments.

‘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?

The pair confirmed they remain friends, committed to their daughters (Picture: X)

Their relationship has certainly faced highs and lows over the years. In 2010, Vernon admitted to sexting page three model Rhian Sugden and other women for four months, just a year after Amber was born.

The pair remained together and even had a vow renewal in 2013, and later shared they had ‘moved on’ while on I’m A Celebrity in 2020.

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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