THE DAILY SHOW
With that megawatt smile and enough energy to power a small city, few people embody confidence quite like Strictly’s golden girl. So who better to front our first ever issue dedicated to the trait? Tess Daly takes a break from homeschooling to talk about raising strong women, and finding the fun where you can
'IT
looks like I’m in a sauna,’ grins Tess Daly, gesturing at the cedar walls of the garden office to which she’s escaped from a house where homeschooling is in full flow. ‘This is the quietest place. We were using it for storage prior to lockdown, but now we’ve moved all the junk out and put a desk in, and it’s come into its own, as you can imagine.’ I can. At this point in the pandemic, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Tess was Zoom-ing from an actual sauna, hastily erected in her back garden, such is the mood on this bleak midwinter morning; a mood to which Tess is the utter antidote. Dressed in a navy blue sweater emblazoned with the word ‘happy’ (from the ethical label Pickle), the 51-year-old is thoroughly on-brand: chatty, self-deprecating and warm as a garden sauna. The family, she tells me, is coping with all this by seeking out joy wherever they can find it. Evenings and weekends are filled with games: Uno,
Drawful on the Xbox and – you’ve got to admire the creativity – hide and seek in the dark. ‘It sounds daft, but it makes them laugh. Kids soak up your emotions like sponges, so we keep it positive, keep them focused on their schoolwork, knowing that better times are around the corner.’
It’s a mantra that sums up the mood on our shoot. Swaying to a Spotify disco playlist and posing in sky-high stilettos on a boom box, Tess is an ode to optimism; a reminder that, some day soon, we will all swap the living room for the dance floor once again. But that’s then, and this is now. Homeschooling notwithstanding, I suspect a quieter-than-usual Q1 has presented an opportunity for Tess to catch her breath after a rather hectic end to 2020. Alongside work wife Claudia Winkleman, she fronted the 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing, negotiating Covid cases (Nicola Adams had to drop out when her partner Katya Jones came down with the virus) and distancing restrictions in order to keep the show on air. Was it less fun than usual? ‘I loved it more than ever,’ she declares. ‘Of course, it was frustrating that you couldn’t hug people. If someone’s in tears or they’re leaving the show, it’s hard not being able to physically reach out. But Strictly is such a celebratory, feel-good show, full of warmth and sparkle and joy, I felt lucky to be a part of something that people were appreciating on a whole other level because they were stuck at home.’
The period was made all the more challenging by the fact that, while Tess was doing her socially distanced exit interviews, Vernon Kay – TV presenter and her husband of 17 years – was holed up in a Welsh castle as a contestant on I’m A Celebrity, meaning she was the sole parent – to Phoebe, 16, and Amber, 11 – at home in Buckinghamshire. ‘My first thought was, hang on a minute, that’s our really busy time,’ says Tess, recalling the moment Vernon told her he’d been asked to do the show – a commitment that would involve him being away for five weeks. ‘We spoke as a family, and I was like, “Can we do this, girls?” Phoebe is very grown-up. She’s another pair of hands and has a great relationship with her little sister. And they were excited about the prospect of their dad being on the show because they love it. So we told him to go for it. Then the location changed from Australia to Wales,’ she adds, breaking into that blinding prime time grin. ‘He was disappointed because of the weather, but, for me, it was great, psychologically, that he was only three hours up the road.’
In the end, Vernon’s absence appears to have done the proverbial, not least because ‘everything broke’ while he was away. ‘The printer, the dishwasher, the dryer – basically everything you need when solo parenting,’ she nods. ‘I was like, “Okay, Vern, I really do need you around the house.”’ If she sounds glib, the way she talks about her spouse is really rather adorable. Vernon rose to fame on Channel 4’s cult weekend morning show T4, while Tess – who had been modelling since her teens – had presenting gigs on The Big Breakfast and SMTV before landing Strictly in 2004
– a job that’s made her one of the longest standing presenters of a prime time show. ‘I was looking at some old photos the other day and we look like babies,’ she smiles, adding: ‘We’re soulmates, me and Vernon. It’s been a ride. And I love him more than ever.’ Of his performance on I’m A Celeb, she’s practically glowing with pride; delighted that the world got to see the version of her husband that his family know: ‘Unfailingly kind… and calm.’ And ageing like a fine wine? ‘The most hysterical thing about that is that my 16-year-old daughter showed me it,’ she laughs, when I bring up the gushing Tiktok videos posted by viewers that confirmed Vernon’s status as the heart-throb of the show.
The family are never far from Tess’s mind during our conversation. They’ve always been a tight unit, she tells me, and the past 12 months haven’t changed that dynamic. But despite her obvious efforts
‘We’re soulmates, me and Vernon. It’s been a ride. And I love him more than ever’
to put a positive spin on lockdown for their benefit, there have been times, she says, when it’s felt ‘like the rug’s been pulled from under us’. Among the Covid-specific concerns (too much screen time; low energy levels; not enough vitamin D) are the issues inherent with raising girls. On the subject of social media and comparison, Phoebe is ‘worldly wise’
(‘she and her friends are quite pragmatic, they don’t buy into it’). But Tess is also deliberate about the messaging she exposes them to. ‘I’ve made a point throughout my girls’ lives of reading them bedtime stories about strong, innovating women, whether it’s Oprah Winfrey or Frida Kahlo. It’s quite a feminist house, really… We’ve instilled a work ethic,
‘I teach my girls that women can do anything, because they can
and they take nothing for granted, but I teach them that women can do anything, because they can.’
The osmosis approach to self-esteem is one she’s all too familiar with; leaving home at 18 to work as a model in Tokyo, before subsequently moving to New York and Paris, was something of a crash course in confidence, she tells me. And she credits ‘soaking up the world around me, and leading a rich and varied life’ for the selfassurance she enjoys now. But two decades in the public eye have no doubt played a role, and as she launches into the lessons she’s learned, I suspect there was some baptism by fire, too. ‘Do not compare yourself to others’ success because that’s the way to disappointment,’ she begins, with conviction reminiscent of a TED talk.
‘There’s room for everyone, and the more we celebrate and support each other, the more we, ourselves, will fly. Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack. I’m in my fifties now. That’s still a shock when I say it out loud, because I don’t feel any different to when I was in my thirties,’ she continues. ‘But I don’t fixate on age as a limitation, because it’s never held me back… Confidence, to me, is just pushing yourself a little bit further than you think you can go, and you’ll always surprise yourself.’
It’s an attitude that applies to her fitness regime, too. She’s been working out (virtually, right now) with trainer Sam Shaw twice a week for the past four years; a relationship that’s endured seemingly thanks to his chat as much as his ability to get results (‘he’s a good laugh, which is important when you’re out of your comfort zone and sweating’). They do interval training, featuring body-weight moves like lunges, alongside weighttraining. ‘He’s brilliant because he focuses on what you need individually. I’ve got a long spine, so I’ve got to work on my core,’ she explains. Yoga also features heavily in the Daly routine; 20-minute sessions – one in the morning, one in the evening – with the first lady of Youtube yoga, Adriene Mishler. And while it’s long been the backbone of her fitness routine, yoga has proven more useful than ever of late. ‘In the morning, it focuses your thoughts for the day, rather than being bombarded by “what-ifs” and news feeds. Then, if I don’t do yoga at night, I go to bed with a whirring mind. So I’m trying to transcend all that uncertainty, because it leads to anxiety.’ Her approach to nutrition is similarly intentional. ‘It’s all very healthy, particularly in this time when immunity and wellbeing are so important.’ Vegetables feature heavily, alongside fish and chicken – and she’s evangelical about gut health. Fibre-rich foods like broccoli and leafy green veg like kale take centre stage, and she’s been making her own sauerkraut since her doctor gave her a recipe. ‘It doesn’t smell amazing,’ she admits. ‘The kids are like, “I’m not touching that”, but I have it as a little side dish, and Vernon has a bit.’
Talk turns to what’s next for our cover star. With another series of Strictly behind her, Tess is switching her focus to a new beachwear range, Naia Beach.
‘I don’t fixate on age as a limitation, because it’s never held me back’
Designed in collaboration with her friend Gail Lawton, a former swimwear fit model who designers employed as a human mannequin to see how their creations looked on a real body (‘what she doesn’t know about swimwear isn’t worth knowing’), it’s a project that’s left her dreaming of hot sand and sun cream. ‘Our ethos is all about celebrating the female form,’ she enthuses. While the pieces aren’t constricting, they have light control around the middle, because ‘I’ll take a helping hand where I can get it, thank you very much’, she laughs. ‘Especially on holiday, when I’m enjoying long, indulgent lunches.’ The mere mention of which temporarily transports us to another place entirely before we’re hauled back to our respective screens. But for now, Tess’s glass is categorically half full. ‘This morning, I noticed the first crocuses of spring growing in our garden,’ she tells me, as she prepares to head back to the house. ‘I was like, hallelujah! It feels like a sign of joy… and hope.’ Spring; sun cream; stilettos – we’re ready when you are.
Tess’s swimwear range, Naia Beach, launches on 12 March; naiabeach.com