Rhian Sugden has spoken of her anguish after her career was 'ruined' following her involvement with Vernon Kay, as news of the presenter's split from wife Tess Daly emerged. The former Page 3 model said she cried over how Kay 'got away with it' while her showbiz career suffered.
In 2020, Sugden told The Sun she felt 'sick' watching Kay recover swiftly from the scandal. 'He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me,' she said. 'I felt like I was going up and up with my career and then that came along. I wish I'd never met him.'
The scandal erupted 16 years ago when explicit texts between Kay and Sugden were leaked. Kay publicly apologised to Daly on his Radio 1 show, calling himself 'foolish and stupid'. Daly forgave him, and the couple remained together until announcing their amicable separation on 13 April 2024.
Sugden, now 39, later married former Coronation Street actor Oliver Mellor. After a £150,000 IVF battle, the couple welcomed their son George in April 2024. Kay and Daly, who married in 2003, share two daughters, Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16.
In a joint statement on Instagram, Kay and Daly said they had separated amicably, adding: 'There are no other parties involved in this decision.' A source told The Mirror the couple had simply grown apart.
