Vernon Kay says lockdown has helped him 'get under the skin' of relationship with wife Tess Daly

Amy Johnson
·Contributor
·2 min read
Vernon Kay and Tess Daly attend the National Television Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena on January 28, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Vernon Kay and Tess Daly attend the National Television Awards 2020 at The O2 Arena on January 28, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Vernon Kay has said the UK lockdown as a result of the coronavirus has allowed him to deepen his relationship with wife Tess Daly and the rest of their family.

While appearing as a guest on the Humans of XS Manchester podcast, the 46-year-old opened up about what the time in isolation had meant for him and his kin.

"The positive of it all is that it’s enabled us as a family to really, not reconnect, but 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. You only really see each other for four-five hours in a day, if that.

Read more: Vernon Kay calls Jack Black a 'pig-faced c**k'

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"When you’re in lockdown and you’re spending 24/7 with each other it really gives you the chance to really kind of reconnect 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."

The couple married in 2003 and share two daughters, Phoebe, 15, and 11-year-old Amber.

In 2010, Kay issued an apology to his family after he was caught up in a sexting scandal with former glamour model Rhian Sugden.

She appeared in the documentary Page Three: The Naked Truth last month where she opened up on the incident which saw the pair exchange explicit messages that were made public.

TV presenters Tess Daly and her husband Vernon Kay, from left, take their seats in the Royal Box on Center Court during day three of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
TV presenters Tess Daly and her husband Vernon Kay, from left, take their seats in the Royal Box on Center Court during day three of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

"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," she said.

In his apology back in 2010, Kay described his actions as "stupid decisions".

Read more: Vernon Kay dismissed Tess Daly split rumours

He said on BBC Radio: "Now this week you may or may not be aware that because of some foolish and stupid decisions I have made, I have disappointed and I have let down a lot of people.

"To my family and everybody, I am very sorry."