Strictly’s Tess Daly ‘struggled to keep going’ as she fought back tears over shock TV moment, says husband Vernon Kay

STRICTLY Come Dancing's Tess Daly secretly struggled to continue hosting on Saturday night, her husband has revealed.

The 55-year-old was overcome with emotion after professional dancer Dianne Buswell's passionate speech about her celebrity partner Chris McCausland.

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She said of blind comic Chris who lost his sight at 22 years old: "I have taught Chris all this time without a single visual cue.

"He's not been able to look at a video back to see if he did a great job or needs to work on anything.

"He's never been able to see his competitors, yet he's seen this competition so well because he's captured the spirit of the show.

"I could not be more proud of him. He has shown that anything is possible."

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The camera then panned to Tess who was fighting back tears after Dianne's heartfelt words.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun as part of EE's campaign to improve Christmas with its latest tech upgrade WiFi 7 technology, Vernon Kay told us: "I think Dianne has been an absolute saint in the way she's allowed people to realise that you know having a disability isn't the be all end all.

"Chris has done absolutely amazingly and Dianne had everyone in tears in the semi-final when she said, look, Chris hasn't seen other people dance.

"He hasn't seen what he's accomplished, what he's achieved. He hasn't seen his own hand placement or footwork.

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"It just struck a cord and touched everyone in the studio. Tess was in tears and she had to really fight back tears when she did the next link to introduce the next dancer.

"I think it just summed up everything Chris has achieved.

"That's what Strictly is all about. Watching it makes you feel good.

"When you strip it down, it's about dancing. Dancing is difficult, but when it's done well it looks amazing."

Chris has since made it through to the final of Strictly Come Dancing 2024.

He is currently the overwhelming favourite to win, according to Ladbrokes, who have his odds at 1/20.

Meanwhile Tess's husband Vernon has been offering fans a glimpse inside the couple's lavish six-bed mansion they share with daughters Phoebe, 20, and Amber, 15.

With Christmas around the corner and Vernon's family being tasked with hosting duties this year, the TV and radio favourite has teamed up with EE to improve the festivities.

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From entertaining guests and streaming holiday classics to online shopping and staying on top of work, Vernon said: "Christmas hosting is no small feat, but with EE’s upgrade, the stress melts away and makes everything just work better.

"It’s all about staying connected - to family, to fun, and to the things that make Christmas together magical."

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