Vernon Kay reveals he’s ‘reconnected’ with wife Tess Daly in lockdown after Rhian Sugden hit out at sexting scandal
VERNON Kay has revealed lockdown has helped him "reconnect" with wife Tess Daly and "get under the skin of their relationship".
The presenter told how being around the Strictly host and their two kids 24/7 has helped them all get to know each other better.
In a rare interview about his private life, Vernon told podcast: "The positive thing is that it’s enabled us as a family to really get to know each other even better than you would as a family.
"When you think about it when you’re in a relationship, a working relationship, you wake up, you go to work, you get back and you have your dinner, kids doing their homework, you go to bed."
Vernon said before lockdown he might only see his family for four hours on a standard working day.
He continued: “When you’re in lockdown and you’re spending 24/7 with each other it really gives you the chance to really kind of re-connect and get to know each other better, not better, but you really get under the skin of your relationships with your kids and your missus.”
Vernon and Tess have raked in millions in the years since the sexting scandal that threatened to derail their successful careers.
Telly viewers recently saw former Page 3 model Rhian Sugden break down in tears as she revealed that her job prospects nose-dived.
She was caught indulging in explicit messages with Family Fortunes host Vernon.
Talking on TV documentary Page Three: The Naked Truth Rhian revealed her work dried up after the 2010 furore, while Vernon and Tess have suffered no financial impact after his public apology.
They are now estimated to be worth around £4 million.
Tearful Rhian — now married to actor Oliver Mellor — is furious the dad of two was allowed to front family shows after their sexts were revealed.
She said: “He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me. I felt like I was going up and up with my career and then that came along. I wish I’d never met him.
“He got to give an apology on the radio and just got to carry on, with Family Fortunes, ironically. It still makes me feel sick.”
Tess and Vernon are co-directors of a firm they run together called 21TV Limited and it has almost £1 million in cash and assets in its coffers alone.
They paid themselves £180,000 in dividends from the surplus money last year.
They also borrowed a further £120,000 in directors’ loans from the firm – to be repaid in the future without interest.
Vernon and Tess - married since 2003 - have two daughters, Phoebe and Amber, and have spoken how they maintain strict rules strict to prevent their privileged life turning them into “spoiled brats”.
Speaking to You magazine, Tess said: “You can’t their make life too easy, because you remove their will to succeed.”
She said they try to teach the girls that money must be earned.
Straight-talking Tess said: “I’d hate to have a spoilt brat – I’d think I hadn’t done my job properly. I want them to be appreciative. “Right now, we’re setting up a pocket money system with my eldest.
“We’re doing rewards and we’ve explained that we can’t buy her everything.”
And the rules in the Daly-Kay household don’t end there.
Tess has also spoken out in the past about her attempts to limit her daughters’ access to technology.
Speaking to Made For Mums, she shared her tips on keeping a healthy balance in the age of social media and smartphones.
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She said: “I won’t let my daughters go on screens at least half an hour before bed because I think it stimulates them a little bit.
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“And if my 10-year-old is Googling or looking on YouTube then she’s got to do it in a room where we’re present.
“We’ve put all the child safety settings in place, but you still can’t predict what might turn up on a YouTube or Google search.”