Statement shared as Tess Daly’s ‘golden handcuffs’ deal with ITV ‘revealed’

‘Vernon is committed to his job at Radio 2’

Tess Daly’s reps have shared a statement amid reports she and husband Vernon Kay are in talks to take over This Morning.

The ITV daytime show saw Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard take over from Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in 2024.

However, as reported by Closer, Cat’s contract is due to expire next month, and sources claim she might not be renewing it…

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Vernon and Tess presented together for the first time in two decades last month on The One Show (Credit: Splashnews.com)

Tess Daly and Vernon Kay were tipped for This Morning role

The magazine’s insider alleged that ITV sees Tess as “incredibly safe and reliable” with a lot of “credibility”.

“It would be a golden-handshake type deal, not just one show. They want Tess involved in several projects. The possibility of stealing Holly Willoughby’s crown as ITV’s leading female host might be seen as a copycat move by some and it’s not something Tess is taking lightly,” the source commented.

Last year, Tess stepped down as host of Strictly Come Dancing after 21 years and left with her co-star Claudia Winkleman.

At the end of February, Tess hosted The One Show with husband Vernon, which marked her first TV presenting role since bowing out of Strictly. It was also the first time the couple had presented together in two decades.
Tess’s reps have denied the claims she’s signing a ‘golden handcuffs’ deal with ITV (Credit: Splashnews.com)

‘There’s a lot to navigate before anything is signed and sealed’

With ITV “still weighing up its options”, the source noted that “nothing has been signed”. 

“There is a feeling Tess could be the person to steady the ship and ITV love the idea of a husband-and-wife presenting duo.  Vernon would be more difficult to get on board, as he loves his Radio 2 morning show. While they could easily become the next big TV couple, the prospect of leaving his popular radio slot is something Vernon would find very hard to contemplate. There’s a lot to navigate before anything is signed and sealed.”

‘There is no truth to the rumours’

Earlier today (March 17), ED! contacted Tess and Vernon’s reps for comment. As a result, they firmly denied the claims.

“There is no truth to the rumours,” they told us. “Vernon is very happy and committed to his job at Radio 2.”

Previously, Tess teased that she had a couple of television jobs “in the pipeline”. However, they have not yet been announced.