The REAL reason for Tess and Vernon’s shock split: This is what friends of the couple have told KATIE HIND about what really lies behind their announcement – and why they’ve been living separate lives

Just days after Vernon Kay popped the question to Tess Daly at her parents’ modest home, they began sharing their happy news.

Dizzy with joy, they called the gossip columnists of a red-cover newspaper and told them the exclusive story that they were getting married just a year after meeting at a festive BBC party.

I was 21 years old and caught up in their excitement because of my work experience at the tabloid. I could hear their familiar northern voices as they described the special moment and announced that they would get married sooner or later.

There was no doubt between them that they were head over heels in love.

Age difference aside (Tess is five years older than Vernon), the fact that they were a working-class, down-to-earth couple who loved to laugh as they embarked on their show business careers undoubtedly contributed to their romance.

But let’s fast forward 24 years, and the message that arrived on my phone after 6pm on Friday was not happy news. Quite the opposite. It was a text message telling me that Tess, 57, and Vernon, 52, had announced their separation, almost 23 years after they were married.

News of a celebrity couple breaking up isn’t a very common occurrence. But it definitely exists. There was no murmur that all was not well. They had shared photos from their Caribbean holiday just a few weeks ago, but perhaps tellingly there was no selfie of the couple together.

Deciding to share their news on Instagram, the duo posted identical statements that were, I understand, penned with the help of their public relations team.

‘After much consideration, we have decided to part amicably, showing deep concern and respect for each other.

Katie writes that the news that a celebrity couple has split often doesn’t come as a shock. But it definitely exists

‘This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a mutual understanding and shared desire for what is best for both of us.

‘We remain great friends and most importantly, we are fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.

‘There is no other party that agrees with this decision. We ask for confidentiality as we navigate this transition together. ‘We will be making no further public comment.’

When a celebrity couple announces their split on a Friday evening, it’s often because they’ve learned that a Sunday newspaper is about to expose some dirty behavior.

However, Tess and Vernon’s teams insist that this is absolutely not the case and that no third party was involved.

In fact, I’m sure the timing was chosen for the best reasons. They wanted to make the announcement before their eldest daughter, Phoebe, returned yesterday to New York, where she currently lives.

Far from avoiding extracurricular misdemeanors such as Vernon being caught having sex with a model in 2010 (more on that later), friends of the couple told me that each of their surprise splits stemmed from the fact that they were very different people from the people they were on Christmas Day 2002, when Vernon proposed.

At the time, the five-year age difference seemed insignificant. This seems to underlie their decision to leave today.

‘They are completely different people now,’ says his friend. ‘They used to have a lot in common, but things have changed. They have changed. They aged differently

‘While Vernon is still a big boy, Tess needs to find a rich old man who owns a yacht. He likes to go out and have a good time, he likes to have a drink and laugh. He loves the disco nights organized in the 90s. He loves football, American football and Oasis.

Tess isn’t interested in any of this. She’s in her late 50s and a bit tough. Vernon is only five years younger, but the age gap seems to be widening lately. They realized they wanted different things and wanted to lead different lives from each other.’

In reality, for the past year Radio 2 DJ Vernon has been regularly socializing without his wife. He went to see Oasis perform their reunion tour five times, but not once with Tess. He also attended the Brit awards, where he was photographed with his idol Noel Gallagher. There was no Tess on his arm again.

The five-year age difference between Tess, 57, and Vernon, 52, appears to be at the heart of their decision to split

Radio 2 DJ Vernon regularly socializes without his partner. Went to see Oasis’ reunion tour five times

A huge American football fan, he loves flying to the USA to watch the SuperBowl. Tess does not share his passion for golf, which Vernon also enjoys playing.

In fact, Vernon has been spending more time partying with his daughter Phoebe, who turned 21 last October. Just two days ago Vernon posted a photo of them appearing to host a cocktail party at the Rosewood hotel in central London.

Friends say Vernon has been intensely focused lately on the ‘BBC Radio 2 Dance Sounds of the 90s’ live tour he will be hosting in the UK later this year. The event, which is always sold out, has become something Vernon “loves to do.”

Again I was told that ‘that wasn’t exactly Tess’ style’.

My source adds bluntly: ‘In fact, they are unintentionally living separate lives. They don’t do much together anymore, they have different interests and hobbies.

‘They grew up apart. They accepted this and decided that life would be better if they separated.

‘They’re both in their 50s, they had a lot of time left and decided they’d be happier if they weren’t together – that’s how they did it. Everything is very, very friendly. They’ve been through so much together, so many happy moments.’

Tess and Vernon’s love story was a whirlwind. While hosting the SMTV children’s show, Tess was pursuing a career as a television presenter after working as a male model for Mizz, a magazine for teenage girls.

They hit it off immediately after meeting at the BBC Christmas party in 2001, when Tess was 32 and Vernon was 27.

They married less than two years later, in September 2003, at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Vernon’s hometown of Horwich, near Bolton. Phoebe was born the following year, with Amber arriving in 2009.

Friends say the girls were ‘very much’ part of the conversation as Tess and Vernon discussed their separation and were told they were ‘okay’ with the decision.

Tess, who is in her late 50s, now lives her life as a single woman but is no longer hosting Strictly.

Tess with her MBE at Windsor Castle last year… Vernon is spending much more time with the couple’s eldest daughter Phoebe, left

Tess and Vernon’s love story was a whirlwind… They got married two years after they first met, and Phoebe arrived a year later.

‘It sounds strange, but everyone is actually happy with the arrangement,’ says a family friend.

In fact, on Friday, just hours before the bombshell revelation was published, Phoebe was on a day out with Tess at Eton, Berkshire.

‘The relationships between Tess, Vernon and their children are really close and strong. The source says their main priority is their daughter.

But friends say they are both looking forward to their separate lives, while one pal admits their separation ‘in the nicest way possible’ will seriously affect their bank balances.

Today, they are reportedly worth around £5 million and own a magnificent mansion with a swimming pool in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire. Vernon is one of the BBC’s highest paid stars; She earns £395,000 from the Radio 2 mid-morning show, while Tess shells out nearly £400,000 to star in the series of Strictly, which she left last year after 21 years.

Together they were every brand’s dream. They were paid tens of thousands of pounds to be ambassadors for Marks and Spencer food; But clips of them tasting food together sparked ridicule from fans who said it was ’embarrassing’.

They were also involved in a campaign for the Japanese restaurant chain Nobu, where they advertised on social media.

Most excitingly for BBC bosses, there were hopes the pair could become the ‘new Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan’ as presenters of The One Show after they presented the show together in February and their success was widely applauded.

While their separation is still in its early stages, divorce must inevitably be on the agenda. Vernon will most likely move out of the family home but it is not yet known if they may decide to sell. The couple are still together at the property, but some have joked that Vernon may now be in the annexe.

‘It’s pretty even between them,’ says a showbiz source. ‘They entered their marriage in very similar situations. They leave the place much richer, but also earn similar amounts over the years.

‘It’s not expected to be a nasty divorce battle.’

It remains to be seen whether the separation will remind Tess of some very unhappy times. She was devastated to discover in 2010 that Vernon had “had sex” with Rhian Sugden, a glamorous Manchester-based model, after they met at a nightclub in Bolton.

After exchanging numbers, it was revealed that Vernon had been sending her explicit text messages.

Addressing the situation, he stated that he had never had a physical relationship but admitted it was a ‘stupid decision’. He said: ‘I let a lot of people down. ‘I’m so sorry for my family and everyone.’

Sources say Tess was furious and had a hard time accepting her husband’s behavior. They wondered if they could stay together for at least a year.

Later in 2013, Vernon surprised Tess by holding a secret vow renewal ceremony during a trip to France.

‘I booked a weekend at our favorite hotel in the south of France. I talked to him [Tess’s] stylist and said I needed four dresses. He didn’t know anything,’ Vernon said while appearing on I’m a Celebrity in 2020.

I’ve met Tess and Vernon a few times since I overheard their deliriously happy phone conversation in 2002, and they always seemed to bounce off each other.

I remember giggling along with them over Vernon’s choice of shorts while hosting ITV’s ill-fated dive show Splash in 2013.

Tess was gutted for her husband for his odd choice and told me she had forbidden him from wearing them in the house.

‘Times change and everything changes,’ says a friend of the couple.

Tess’s life looks very different now than it did this time last year. Last October he stunned Strictly’s millions of fans when he and his co-host Claudia Winkleman announced they were quitting their presenting roles.

In her late 50s, Tess no longer hosts the biggest show on television but is still waiting for life as a single woman; because her ex will probably paint the town red.

But while it may seem like a worrying situation, friends say Tess is happy with the breakup.

‘It’s tougher than it looks,’ says my friend. ‘He’ll be fine.’