Tess Daly had dreamed of this moment throughout her career. She wore a striking red Roland Mouret dress and nervously clasped her hands together as she waited.
This week, King Charles honored Tess with an MBE at Windsor Castle. She accepted the award with the poise and skill she’s developed over twenty years in the spotlight – offering a graceful curtsey, a firm handshake, and her signature, dazzling smile.
She said receiving the award was the greatest honour of her career, and she dedicated it to her father, Vivian, who passed away from emphysema in 2003.
Looking confident and elegant in a flowing dress and stylish hat, Tess Daly, accompanied by her husband Vernon Kay and daughter Phoebe, appeared completely in her element.
For Tess, age 56, receiving this prestigious award – recognizing her work in broadcasting and charity – comes at a particularly challenging point in her career.
It wasn’t surprising when Claudia Winkleman recently announced she was leaving Strictly Come Dancing after 21 years. Her immense popularity meant she was moving on to bigger opportunities.
Her longtime co-host and friend, who had been leading the dance competition with her since 2014, was the clear favorite among viewers. His popularity had increased thanks to the success of the reality show The Traitors, and he’d ultimately moved on because the show no longer suited his career.
Following her recent success, the BBC has commissioned a chat show hosted by Claudia, created by the team behind Graham Norton’s productions. The show will feature a lineup of well-known celebrities.
Honestly, it kills me that after twenty years of absolute dedication to that show – twenty years! – nobody seems to be lining up to give Tess what she deserves! There’s not even a whisper about what she’s doing next, no production companies begging her to join their projects. It’s just…nothing. And it’s so unfair, she’s given everything to that Corporation and its biggest show, and she deserves so much better. I’m constantly checking for news, and it’s just frustrating!
An industry insider shared that Tess is well-liked and has a lot of support, but isn’t currently receiving as much work as Claudia, which is proving difficult for her.
Oh my gosh, Claudia is just amazing! It’s incredible to think she didn’t start right at the top with Strictly! She actually began hosting ‘It Takes Two,’ which, let’s be honest, is a fantastic show, but definitely not the main event. Then, when the legendary Bruce Forsyth left… well, that’s when she finally got her chance, and she absolutely soared! It was so deserved, and I’ve been obsessed ever since!
Thanks to Tess’s encouragement, she got the job, and together they became the first women to host a prime-time Saturday night show.
Currently, all the attention is on Claudia, but Tess was the original leading figure on Strictly, and Claudia later joined her in that role, according to a source.
It was incredibly difficult for her when Brucie left, but she persevered and continued with the show. She’s very proud of everything she’s accomplished during her time on Strictly.
Claudia and Tess made a great team – Claudia’s lively and unconventional personality balanced out Tess’s polished and flawless delivery.
Tess consistently kept everything running well, even with changing judges and occasional drama. She was the dependable heart of the show.
She only took a break from hosting during the first part of the show’s second season, following the birth of her daughter, Phoebe. Remarkably, she returned to work just six weeks after having a C-section.
During filming each year, Tess consistently delivers perfect takes for the pre-recorded parts of the show, while Claudia usually adds her own flair, improvises, and enhances the scenes.
‘Claudia is always seen as the clever one but Tess is no fool,’ said the source.
It’s unfortunate that when the performers are paired, Claudia is considered the more skilled one, even though they work well together – it feels unfair.
Tess and Claudia became close friends while working on the show, but they have quite different life experiences and come from different worlds.
Tess was raised in Birch Vale, Derbyshire, by her parents who both worked in factories. She went to the local New Mills Secondary School.
A model scout discovered her while she was at a McDonalds as a teenager and signed her immediately. This launched a career that required years of dedicated work in the modeling industry.
She started her career with appearances in two Duran Duran music videos, ‘Serious’ and ‘Violence of Summer,’ and spent time working in both Paris and New York to gain momentum.
In 2000, she submitted a video to the producers of Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast and got her first TV job hosting the show’s model search competition.
Four years later, Strictly Come Dancing began, and it quickly made her a household name, becoming her main job for the following twenty years.
Claudia, however, came from a very different background – she was born into a family deeply connected to the British media. Her mother, Eve Pollard, is a newspaper editor, and her father, Barry Winkleman, works as a book publisher.
She was educated at the City of London School for Girls, a well-respected private school, and later studied art history at Cambridge University. Her career began as a writer and presenter on the BBC travel program, Holiday.
Claudia had already become known for hosting shows like Hell’s Kitchen and The Great British Sewing Bee when she started working on Strictly in 2014, and it soon became her primary role.
Claudia consistently found extra work, possibly due to her existing network or because she started on Strictly Come Dancing after Tess did.
In addition to hosting Strictly Come Dancing, Claudia Winkleman presented The Great British Sewing Bee until 2016 and Britain’s Best Home Cook from 2018 to 2021. Since 2023, she’s been the host of the Channel 4 competition The Piano.
From 2016 to 2020, Claudia hosted a popular evening show, ‘Claudia on Sunday,’ on BBC Radio 2, becoming a frequent contributor to the station.
She began hosting the mid-morning Saturday show previously held by Graham Norton in November, and continued in that role until March 2024. At that time, she decided to leave the show to focus on her family.
She explained that her children were growing up too quickly, and she wanted to spend more time with them at home before they moved out, which is why she was taking a leave of absence.
Although Claudia Winkleman has had a successful career, the show The Traitors, which started in 2022, has become her biggest hit yet. Last week, a remarkable 12 million people watched Alan Carr win the celebrity edition.
Claudia Winkleman is able to bring her children – Jake, 22, Matilda, 19, and Arthur, 14 – to Scotland while filming The Traitors because the show’s schedule aligns with school and university breaks. She shares these children with her husband, Kris Thykier.
Claudia appears frequently on TV and radio, but Tess Daly is best known for hosting Strictly Come Dancing. Since the show began, she’s only appeared on television for Children in Need and the occasional panel show episode.
When the pair announced their departure from the show via a social media video, midway through the current season, it appeared Tess was unfairly affected, and everyone was curious about her future plans.
They were so close that they’d promised each other years ago to leave the show at the same time, whenever either one decided it was time to go.
Dedicated viewers of Strictly Come Dancing immediately took to social media to express their disappointment about Claudia leaving, but seemed less upset about Tess’s departure.
Even though she’s worked hard for years, some people on X have criticized her as being stiff and uncomfortable, especially when compared to Claudia, who seems more relaxed and natural.
Similar to her colleague Shirley Ballas, Tess has consistently ignored any negativity and continued hosting the show with strength and resilience.
Even though Tess doesn’t have any new TV roles scheduled after leaving her current position before Christmas, she’s financially secure thanks to profitable partnerships with various brands.
Since 2017, she’s represented Vitabiotics Wellwoman as a brand ambassador, and also works with Ultherapy, a company specializing in non-surgical skin tightening. She’s previously partnered with brands like Biba, L’Oreal, and MAC.
She is the co-founder of high-end swimwear label Naia Beach, which is sold in John Lewis.
Tess, a mother of two daughters, Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 15, has shown remarkable strength, both when facing criticism at work and when her husband, Vernon, was exposed for sending inappropriate messages to several women back in 2010. She firmly supported him through the scandal.
Kay, who took over Ken Bruce’s Radio 2 slot in 2023, was forced to apologise publicly to his wife.
Despite everything, Tess always kept her bright smile and perfectly styled hair.
Claudia is moving on to a new phase in her broadcasting career, which means she’ll no longer be working with Tess. However, they’re still close friends and there are no hard feelings between them.
‘There is nobody hoping that Tess will get a great new gig more than Claudia,’ said the insider.
With just a few weeks left on out screens, there’s nothing Tess can do but ‘keep dancing’.
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2025-11-14 15:37