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Back view of a blonde television presenter in a red evening gown holding a microphone on a studio stage.

Television presenter and author

Tess Daly

Best known for Co-hosting BBC's Strictly Come Dancing

Born
1969
From
British
Working since
1990
Also known as
Helen Daly

Saturday night television in Britain wouldn't be the same without Tess Daly. For two decades, she's been the polished anchor steering the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom through sequins, live television mishaps, and high-stakes tangos without missing a beat.

Before she ruled primetime alongside Claudia Winkleman, Tess spent years globetrotting as a fashion model and starring in Duran Duran music videos. Today, she and husband Vernon Kay are one of British television's most recognisable power couples, with Tess firmly holding the crown as the queen of shiny-floor entertainment.

Follows: X @tessdaly · instagram @tessdaly

Latest: Tess Daly Tells Women to Make Themselves 'Unavailable' to Dodge Burnout · 22 September 2026

Tess Daly in brief

  • —Anchored Strictly Come Dancing continuously since the show launched in 2004.
  • —Scouted as a model outside a McDonald's in Manchester when she was just eighteen.
  • —Starred in two Duran Duran music videos at the height of her modelling career in 1990.
  • —Teamed up with Claudia Winkleman in 2014 to create Strictly's first all-female hosting duo.
  • —Married fellow television presenter Vernon Kay in 2003.

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