Tess Daly Tells Women to Make Themselves 'Unavailable' to Dodge Burnout
Tess Daly is urging women to carve out regular 'me time' and make themselves temporarily unavailable to protect their wellbeing and avoid total burnout.
22 September 2026 · Reported first by Mirror Celebrity

The key facts
- Tess Daly is fronting a brand new wellness campaign with Wellwoman.
- The presenter is urging women to deliberately make themselves unavailable to rest.
- She warns that failing to prioritise personal time leads directly to burnout.
- Daly stresses that setting boundaries is essential for working parents.
- The campaign focuses on practical, everyday self-care habits over grand gestures.
What Tess Daly is telling women
Tess Daly wants everyone to put their phones down and close the door. The longtime TV favourite has a blunt piece of advice for women everywhere who feel like they're running on empty: make yourself completely unavailable.
Speaking as the face of a new Wellwoman campaign, the presenter shared her take on modern burnout. Her message is dead simple. If you don't carve out time just for yourself, nobody else will hand it to you.
Let's be honest, most people spend their days juggling work, family, and endless group chats. Daly says the only way to survive that circus is to draw a line in the sand. Step away. Turn off the notifications. Take a breather before everything boils over.
The reality of juggling busy careers and home life
Life under the spotlight looks shiny from the outside. In reality, it's a relentless grind. Daly knows that pace better than most after decades fronting massive prime-time television broadcasts.
She's balanced huge live studio productions with raising a family alongside her husband Vernon Kay. When both partners work demanding entertainment schedules, downtime doesn't just happen by accident. You have to plan it.
For Daly, keeping your head straight means admitting you can't be everything to everyone all the time. Taking ten minutes or an entire afternoon to reset isn't selfish. It's basic self-preservation.
Why carving out me time matters
Burnout doesn't knock politely on the door. It creeps in when you're busy saying yes to every single demand. Daly points out that women especially tend to put themselves at the very bottom of their daily to-do lists.
Her new push with Wellwoman focuses straight on that habit. The core idea is simple: you can't pour from an empty cup.
Setting boundaries can feel awkward at first. You might feel guilty saying no to a favour or leaving a text unread. But Daly insists that making yourself temporarily out of reach is the healthiest choice you can make for your mental and physical health.
What happens next
As the health campaign rolls out, Daly is keeping the focus firmly on wellness, daily habits, and realistic self-care. She isn't preaching impossible spa retreats or expensive lifestyle overhauls.
Instead, the emphasis stays on tiny, practical adjustments that normal people can actually pull off. Whether that means a quiet walk, a closed bedroom door, or just putting your feet up without feeling bad about it, the goal is getting women to reclaim their peace.
Why this matters
Tess Daly using her platform to normalise stepping back strikes a chord with millions of women facing daily exhaustion. It shifts the conversation from nonstop hustle to practical, everyday self-care.
More on
Your questions answered
- What is Tess Daly's advice for avoiding burnout?
- Tess Daly advises women to make themselves temporarily unavailable, set firm boundaries, and take regular personal downtime to rest.
- What campaign is Tess Daly fronting?
- She is the face of a new wellness campaign with the health brand Wellwoman.
- Who is Tess Daly married to?
- Tess Daly has been married to fellow television and radio presenter Vernon Kay since 2003.
- Why does Tess Daly say women struggle with burnout?
- She points out that women often put everyone else's needs first, leaving no time or energy for their own wellbeing.
- What kind of self-care does Tess Daly recommend?
- She advocates for simple, realistic moments of quiet time, such as stepping away from screens and taking time alone to recharge.
- Which major show is Tess Daly best known for hosting?
- Tess Daly is best known as the long-running co-host of BBC's hit entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing.
- Does Tess Daly believe me time is selfish?
- No, she argues that setting boundaries and resting is basic self-preservation rather than being selfish.
