BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay has bought a £3 million house in Buckinghamshire just 15 minutes away from his family home as he prepares to move out following his split from television presenter Tess Daly.
The 52-year-old broadcaster is currently still living with Daly, 57, at their marital home in Beaconsfield while his new property undergoes renovations.
The house features a swimming pool and sprawling grounds. According to sources close to the situation, Kay chose the location to remain close to his ex-wife and their two daughters, Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16.
A source told The Sun that Kay had purchased a place close to the family home in Buckinghamshire so that he could stay close to their daughters, describing that proximity as something important to both parents. The source added that Daly is supporting him with the move while renovations are completed.
The source noted that living apart would feel very strange after the couple spent more than two decades together, adding that both Kay and Daly are treating the transition with care and respect. A spokesperson for Kay was reached out to by the Daily Mail for comment.
The Announcement of the Separation
Kay and Daly revealed in May that they were separating after 23 years of marriage. Friends of the couple noted at the time of the announcement that both remained under the same roof at their home in Beaconsfield.
In a joint statement released at the time of the announcement, the couple wrote: "After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably. This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a place of mutual understanding and a shared desire of what is best for both of us..."
They added: "We remain great friends and, most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority. There are no other parties involved in this decision. We kindly ask for privacy during this time. We will not be making any further public comments."
The couple, who are estimated to have a joint net worth of around £10 million, were last seen together in public in February of this year when they co-hosted an episode of the BBC magazine series The One Show.
Family Life and Career Projects
Earlier this month, Daly revealed on Instagram that she and her eldest daughter, Phoebe, were working together on an undisclosed project.
Posting a photograph from a dressing room alongside her daughter, Daly wore a lilac buttoned-up top with matching trousers, while Phoebe wore a black vest top and embroidered dark denim jeans. Captioning the image, Daly wrote: "No longer bring your daughter to work day, but working alongside her @phoebeekay."
The collaboration between mother and daughter follows comments made by Kay in April during an interview with The Times, in which he insisted that he and Daly would not raise their children to be pampered "nepo babies."
Kay explained that he and Daly had always sought to instil a strong work ethic in their daughters. He told the publication: "Now that Phoebe is 21 and Amber is nearly 17, our relationship with them is changing. We talk about encouraging them to leave the nest and be independent but we don’t really want them to."
He also recalled their concerns as parents when Phoebe became old enough to attend nightclubs, highlighting the danger of drink spiking. "You have to learn to enter their world and that world has pitfalls that just didn’t exist for us," Kay said.
Sharing Daly's core advice for their children, Kay said: "You’ve got to go out and graft. That’s something we’ve tried to instil in our girls. They’re still working out what they want to do but we’ve told them: 'Your mum and I aren’t going to give you everything'."
Phoebe moved to New York last year to study acting and film production, while also pursuing a career in modelling. She made her red carpet debut in 2023 at the Leicester Square premiere of John Wick: Chapter 4 in London, considerably later than many other children of famous media personalities.
Kay is a long-standing British radio and television presenter who currently hosts the weekday mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2, having previously presented popular entertainment shows such as Family Fortunes. Daly is a prominent television presenter best known for co-hosting the BBC ballroom dance contest Strictly Come Dancing for two decades alongside presenting major national television broadcasts.
