Copyright walesonline
Earlier this week, Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly revealed that the current series of the programme will be her final one after "21 wonderfully joyful years". The 56-year-old has been presenting the competition since it began in 2004, initially alongside Bruce Forsyth before partnering with Claudia Winkleman . In a video message with her co-presenter on Wednesday, the pair announced that it was time to "pass the baton on" to two fresh faces, as they step away. With a reported salary of £150,000 for her Strictly role, fans have been left wondering about the motivation behind her exit. What some might not realise is that the presenter has a completely different occupation beyond the spotlight that "consumes a lot" of her time. Established in 2021, Tess jointly runs the swimwear brand Naia Beach alongside her closest friend Gayle Lawton. Speaking about her four-year-old venture, she recently revealed: "That's my other baby, the business, and that requires me [to work] hours and hours a day, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. "It doesn't sleep and it's growing. And [what is] really exciting [is] getting to be creative, you know, I love building a business with my best friend. "But it does consume a lot of my time. So I'm usually doing that, it's wonderful," she continued, during a conversation with Giovanna Fletcher on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast. Tess continued: "It's enjoyable, you know, its really fulfilling but that takes up most of my time." Beyond her presenting and business ventures, the Strictly personality is also mother to daughters Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 15. Tess raises her children alongside long-term spouse Vernon Kay, who hosts the mid-morning programme on BBC Radio 2. The broadcaster's family life has remained central to her Strictly Come Dancing journey. Just six weeks following the arrival of their firstborn, Tess threw herself back into her duties for the programme's second series. "Six weeks to the day since I'd given birth, I went back. That was no mean feat because I was a new mother. I'd had a caesarean," she revealed. "Timing-wise, it worked out really well because you can work six weeks after having a caesarean, which is a pretty major operation. "But it was pretty daunting - in the six weeks since giving birth, becoming a new mum, not knowing what I was doing, not sleeping very much." Following her departure announcement, bookmakers have speculated that Tess might participate in her debut reality programme, Celebrity Traitors. Both she and Vernon faced speculation about joining Claudia's programme last year, though Tess subsequently clarified this wasn't the case. Speaking to The Metro newspaper recently, she said: "She [Claudia] knows I'd be able to read her mind at this point. I'd be terrible at doing a poker face and being a traitor." Seemingly confirming this was true, Vernon remarked on Good Morning Britain : "Tess always laughs when she tells a fib, whereas I'm terrible. "It's not convincing. I think it would be an interesting psychological experience, The Traitors."
