Vernon Kay issued a public apology to Tess after the ‘sexting’ scandal (Image: PA)
Vernon Kay’s marriage with Tess Daly hit turbulent times back in 2010 as he confessed to ‘sexting’ Page 3 girl Rhian Sugden daily for four months. It came after they met in a Bolton nightclub.
The former contestant and Radio 2 host admitted to sending flirty messages to “four or five girls” during that period. However, his representative stated firmly that his interactions with Rhian, 34, remained strictly non-physical.
“They never at any point had a physical sexual relationship,” assured the public. In the aftermath, the TV host revealed on Radio 1 that his wife of 17 years, Tess, was “extremely upset” over the scandal, and he openly chastised himself to his audience.
“I’ve let down my wife Tess. I’m an idiot,” he confessed on-air. “I’ve been stupid and daft but I’m not a sex pest,” reports .
Despite the tougher times Vernon expressed his commitment to working things out with Tess and felt a sense of relief that the ordeal had come to light.
Vernon admitted sending Rhian Sugden saucy texts (Image: Rhian Sugden/Instagram)
“In some ways I’m glad this story has come out. It feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders,” he explained.
He even went as far as to make a poignant vow to Tess during his broadcast, promising a change.
“I knew it was getting silly. I’m never going to do it again and hopefully I can clear the slate clean and start again.”
“I’m so sorry. I’ve been an idiot and I’ve let my family down.”
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Vernon previously competed in I’m a Celeb (Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
However, in 2016, new allegations emerged, suggesting Vernon might have once again been in contact with Rhian.
He hastily addressed the issue on Facebook, insisting Tess Daly, the host of , was in the loop regarding the messages.
He declared: “I was contacted by Rhian out of the blue back in December regarding the story in 2010 claiming she had information she wanted to pass on.
“I recognise how it may look when messages are pulled out of context but there was never any inappropriate intent to our communication, I was merely trying to find answers to questions that I’ve had since 2010.”
“Tess is aware of everything that has been discussed with Rhian.”
Addressing the original messages sent in 2010, Vernon Kay admitted in a Daily Mail interview that sending them was an error.
Acknowledging his past actions, he said: “I won’t air my dirty linen in public but I wasn’t the first and I won’t be the last. People make mistakes and other people just deal with it.”
Discussing the stability of his marriage, he confirmed: “Never. I knew we would deal with it. Our relationship is strong enough that we deal with this. People do. I’ve had a few friends who’ve had to deal with… stuff… and we did.”
Meanwhile, Tess has remained silent about the racy texts but conceded in a 2017 Times interview that their marriage has endured its ‘moments’. “Marriage is a work in progress,” she reflected. “Vernon and I are just people, at the end of the day.”