Tess Daly and Vernon Kay announce split after 22 years of marriage

Tess Daly and Vernon Kay have announced they will “separate amicably” after 22 years of marriage.

The couple, who married in September 2003 and share two daughters, said there are no other parties involved in the decision.

In a joint statement shared on Instagram, they said: “After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably.

“This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a place of mutual understanding and a shared desire for what is best for both of us.

“We remain great friends and more importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.

“There are no other parties involved in this decision. We kindly ask for privacy during this time as we navigate this transition together.

“We will not be making any further public comments. Tess and Vernon.”

The former Strictly Come Dancing presenter, 57, and the BBC Radio 2 DJ, aged 52, are parents to daughter Phoebe, born in October 2004, and Amber, born in May 2009.

Both are former models who carved out successful careers as presenters.

Their marriage made headlines in 2010 when Kay admitted he sent explicit texts to around five women, going on to apologise to hundreds of thousands of listeners on the Radio 1 show he hosted at the time.

He interrupted the programme to tell his two million listeners he had been “foolish and stupid”.

However a month later, Daly said their partnership was “worth fighting for” because they had had “10 great years together” and shared “two beautiful kids”.

She told the One Show: “Dealing with it in private is difficult enough, but dealing but with it in public is even harder”, adding that she was touched by the amount of support she had received.

Daly was born in Stockport and Kay came from Horwich, near Bolton, just 20 miles away.

Their birthdays, in April, are just a day apart.

Although both were well-known faces when they married in 2003, they shunned offers of six-figure deals with glossy celebrity magazines for exclusive photographs of their wedding.

The couple, both dressed in white, instead posed for fans’ photographs outside St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, in Horwich, near Bolton.

Strictly launched the following year and Daly took up her role next to the late Sir Bruce Forsyth.

She helmed the BBC dancing competition’s main show for 21 years with Claudia Winkleman, joining her every Saturday from 2014, after Sir Bruce stepped down.

Daly and Winkleman stepped back last year, both choking back tears as they signed off for the final time in December.