Copyright birminghammail
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 co-hosting alongside Bruce Forsyth before partnering with Claudia Winkleman . In a video alongside her co-presenter on Wednesday, Tess explained it was time to "pass the baton on" to two fresh hosts, as she and Claudia make their exit. Read more: New clues in missing Blues fan search With reports suggesting Tess earns around £150,000 for her Strictly role, numerous viewers have been questioning why she chose to make such a move. What many might not realise is the host has a completely different career away from the spotlight that "consumes a lot" of her time. Established in 2021, Tess co-runs the swimwear brand, Naia Beach, alongside her closest friend Gayle Lawton, reports the Mirror . Speaking recently about her four year old enterprise, she 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 chat with Giovanna Fletcher on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast. Speaking enthusiastically, 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 favourite is also mother to daughters Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 15. Tess raises her girls alongside long-term spouse Vernon Kay, who hosts the mid-morning slot on BBC Radio 2. The host's domestic arrangements have remained central to her Strictly Come Dancing journey. Merely six weeks following the arrival of their firstborn, Tess plunged back into her professional commitments 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 suggest Tess might enter her debut reality programme, Celebrity Traitors. Both she and Vernon were speculated to be joining Claudia's programme lineup last year, though Tess subsequently clarified this was never accurate. 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." Previously confirming this assessment, Vernon said 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."
