Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly has been awarded an MBE in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours List for her outstanding services to broadcasting — a moment she wishes she could share with her late father, Vivian.
The 56-year-old TV presenter, who has been the face of Strictly since its debut in 2004, shared her emotional reaction on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, revealing how much her dad, who passed away in 2003, would have treasured this moment. “He loved Bruce [Forsyth]. He loved ballroom dancing. He’d have loved that moment,” she said. “There are certain things you wish could have happened, and I would have loved him to know this had happened — it would’ve meant the world.”
Despite the magnitude of the honour, Daly admits the reality hasn’t fully sunk in. “I haven’t really taken it in yet. I suppose when I actually get to hold the medal and have it pinned on me, that’s when it’ll feel real.”
Tess, who shares two daughters, Phoebe and Amber, with her husband and BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay, also revealed the honour nearly slipped through her fingers. The official notification was sent to the wrong address, and it was only thanks to a kind stranger that she received it just days before the acceptance deadline.
Her Strictly co-host Claudia Winkleman, 53, was also appointed an MBE, making the honour even more special for the duo. Reflecting on the recognition, Daly called it “the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me” and a true highlight of her decades-long broadcasting career.
