{"id":953895,"date":"2026-05-12T02:34:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T02:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/953895\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T02:34:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T02:34:24","slug":"vernon-kay-breaks-silence-following-tess-daly-split-as-he-addresses-break-up-in-first-radio-appearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/953895\/","title":{"rendered":"Vernon Kay breaks silence following Tess Daly split as he addresses break-up in first radio appearance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vernon Kay addressed his separation from Tess Daly<\/a> for the first time during his BBC Radio 2 programme on Monday morning.<\/p>\n

The presenter was quick to express his gratitude to listeners who had reached out following the couple’s shock announcement.<\/p>\n

\"VernonVernon Kay and Tess Daly announced their split on Friday | PA<\/p>\n

The broadcaster, who was spotted arriving at the London studio with a small smile earlier in the day, opened his show by acknowledging the outpouring of support.<\/p>\n

“I just want to say on behalf of myself and Tess, thank you, thank you for all your well-wishes, it’s been greatly appreciated,” he told his audience.<\/p>\n

\"Vernon<\/p>\n

Tess Daly and Vernon Kay were married for 23 years <\/p>\n

| GETTY<\/p>\n

The appearance marked Mr Kay’s return to the airwaves just days after he and Ms Daly publicly confirmed the end of their marriage on Friday.<\/p>\n

The pair revealed their decision to part ways through a joint statement posted on Instagram on Friday, bringing their 23-year marriage to a close.<\/p>\n

“After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably,” the couple wrote.<\/p>\n

They stressed the choice had not come easily but stemmed from mutual understanding and a shared wish for what was best for both of them.<\/p>\n

\"Vernon<\/p>\n

Vernon Kay accompanied Tess Daly to Windsor where she received her OBE <\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

PA<\/p>\n

The statement made clear that no third parties were involved in their decision to end the relationship.<\/p>\n

Both Mr Kay and Ms Daly emphasised they remain close friends and are fully dedicated to raising their daughters, Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16, together.<\/p>\n

Sources close to the couple have shed light on the circumstances leading to their separation, revealing a gradual drift rather than any dramatic falling out.<\/p>\n

“Basically, without meaning to, they’ve been living separate lives,” one insider claimed. “They don’t really do much together anymore; they have different interests and hobbies.”<\/p>\n

\"Vernon<\/p>\n

Vernon Kay and Tess Daly’s joint statement<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

INSTAGRAM<\/p>\n

The source added that the pair had acknowledged growing apart and concluded that separating would be better for both of them.<\/p>\n

Friends say there was no significant conflict between the couple, with one source noting: “There has been no big fallout, more a gradual growing apart and wanting different things.”<\/p>\n

Both have reportedly pledged to maintain their friendship and handle any future public discussions with dignity.<\/p>\n

Mr Kay and Ms Daly first crossed paths in 2001 whilst working together on Top Of The Pops@Play, beginning a relationship that would see him propose on Christmas Day the following year.<\/p>\n

\"Vernon<\/p>\n

Vernon Kay returned to BBC Radio 2 on Monday <\/p>\n

| PA<\/p>\n

Reflecting on their first meeting, Mr Kay previously told The Telegraph: “She didn’t know anyone except me because we’d worked together that day \u2013 she spotted me in a crowd and we had a laugh.<\/p>\n

“I was instantly attracted by how independent Tess was, and that’s not changed at all.”<\/p>\n

The couple wed in September 2003 in Horwich, Lancashire, near where Mr Kay grew up.<\/p>\n

Despite announcing their separation, the pair are currently still residing together at their Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire home whilst they plan their next chapter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vernon Kay addressed his separation from Tess Daly for the first time during his BBC Radio 2 programme…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":953896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3940],"tags":[192,4080,4781,77,512,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-953895","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-bbc","9":"tag-celebrities","10":"tag-celebrity","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-sgg","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116559273504673080","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=953895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/953896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=953895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=953895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=953895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}