Vernon Kay has spoken about a change in his family dynamic with daughters Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16, just days before announcing his split from wife Tess Daly. The couple, who married in 2003, revealed their separation on Friday, ending a 22-year relationship.
In an interview with The Times, Vernon admitted that while he and Tess encourage their daughters to be independent, they are not truly ready for them to leave the nest. 'Now that Phoebe is 21 and Amber is nearly 17, our relationship with them is changing,' he said. 'We talk about encouraging them to leave the nest and be independent, but we don't really want them to.'
Vernon noted the challenges of modern parenting, including concerns about drink spiking, which he said 'didn't happen in the Nineties.' Phoebe recently moved to New York for her studies, sharing her excitement on TikTok. Tess and Vernon visited her earlier this year, with Tess posting about their trip on Instagram.
The couple's split was described as amicable, with a source telling the Mirror that they 'made a toast' to each other's futures after releasing their joint statement. The source added: 'There has been no big fallout, more a gradual growing apart and wanting different things.'
Vernon and Tess continue to live together in their Buckinghamshire home, though it is believed Vernon will eventually move closer to London for his Radio 2 show. They stressed in their statement that there are 'no other parties involved' and that they remain 'great friends and most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving parents.'
