WORDS ANNA BERRILL
Photographs David Venni/Chillli Media,
Instagram.com/tessdaly
‘I do yoga stretches at the top of the stairs before going live on Strictly,’ says Stockport-born Tess Daly, adding sugar to her strong builder’s tea. ‘I’m northern stock,’ she protests. The TV presenter and star of not one but two Duran Duran videos has been the co-host of Strictly Come Dancing since it launched in 2004. ‘I think I’ve earned that “Keep dancing” T-shirt… enthusiastically, of course,’ she caveats (although tales of her dancing in the kitchen with friends is pause for thought). While Tess has been one of the main presenters since the beginning, 2014 saw co-host Bruce Forsyth retire and Claudia Winkleman shimmy in. You have to admire the producers of the BBC One show for spotting how the chemistry between these two would work, and making them the first female co-hosts of a live primetime show. At the time, the news was met with celebration, criticism and endless column inches. ‘It seems so strange that prior to this, two women had never sat side-by-side on television before,’ Tess reflects. ‘It’s so outdated. I was telling my daughter how Claude and I were the first, which she thought was really cool. I’m proud as it was the start of something that should have happened a long time ago… More women on TV.’ It’s clear that even after 14 years on Strictly, she still gets a kick out of the glitter ball: ‘I enjoy the butterflies you get with live TV, and it’s just such a joyful show.’