Tess Daly, the former Strictly Come Dancing presenter, was not born with the name she is known by today. Her birth name is Helen Daly, and she adopted the name Tess during the early stages of her modelling career.
Daly, 57, entered the modelling industry at age 17, with work taking her across Asia, Europe and New York. It was when she signed with an agency that she was advised to change her name, as another model on its books was already called Helen Davies.
The Origin of the Name Tess
With the names considered too similar, a change was suggested, and Tess Daly came to be. Explaining how she landed on Tess, she told the Daily Mail in 2020: "My agent was obsessed with [the actress] Nastassja Kinski at the time, who was in the film Tess, and thought I looked like her."
"So Tess it was. I was gullible and impressionable," she added. "Mind you, two weeks later I was in Japan then travelled the world. Paris, Milan, New York."
Family and the Name Change
Daly revealed that her mum, Sylvia, is "really the only person" who calls her by her real name, but she does not do so often. "She tends to call me 'love', so when she does say 'Helen' it can take me a while to respond," the star added.
"I've never changed it by deed poll or anything because I think it would be disrespectful to my parents."
Departure from Strictly
The news follows Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas opening up about Tess and Claudia Winkleman's departure from the show, admitting she was "saddened" to see them go. The pair fronted the show together from 2014 until 2025, when they announced they would be leaving together.
"Claudia and Tess started me off in 2017, and I had a beautiful relationship with both of them. They had the changing room next to mine so I could always hear them laughing and giggling – it was such a lovely vibe," Shirley told Prima.
"So, of course, I was very saddened to hear [they were leaving] … Then, of course, I know Emma Willis, because I did Cooking With The Stars with her. And Josh Widdicombe I met several times on different shows that we've done, and he is extremely funny."
Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe took over from Tess and Claudia, making history as the first trio to host the show in its 22-year history. Shirley also expressed her fondness for Johannes, who was a professional on Strictly from 2018 until 2025. "I've known him since 2018. He's just a superstar in my book," she added.
