Tess Daly and Vernon Kay are now multi-millionaires after Rhian Sugden reveals sexting scandal ‘ruined her career’
TELLY golden couple Vernon Kay and Tess Daly have been laughing all the way to the bank and raking in millions since the sexting scandal that threatened to derail their successful careers on the box.
Viewers last night saw former Page 3 model Rhian Sugden break down in tears as she revealed that her job prospects nose-dived after she was caught indulging in explicit messages with Family Fortunes host Vernon.
Talking on new TV documentary Page Three: The Naked Truth Rhian revealed her work dried up after the 2010 furore, while Vernon and his wife Tess – who stars as a presenter on Strictly Come Dancing – have suffered no financial impact after his public apology.
They are now estimated to be worth around £4 million.
Tearful Rhian — now married to actor Oliver Mellor — is furious the dad of two was allowed to front family shows after their sexts were revealed.
She said: “He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me. I felt like I was going up and up with my career and then that came along. I wish I’d never met him.
“He got to give an apology on the radio and just got to carry on, with Family Fortunes, ironically. It still makes me feel sick.”
Tess and Vernon are co-directors of a firm they run together called 21TV Limited and it has almost £1 million in cash and assets in its coffers alone.
They paid themselves £180,000 in dividends from the surplus money last year.
They also borrowed a further £120,000 in directors’ loans from the firm – to be repaid in the future without interest.
Vernon and Tess – married since 2003 – have two daughters, Phoebe and Amber, and have spoken how they maintain strict rules strict to prevent their privileged life turning them into “spoiled brats”.
Speaking to You magazine, Tess said: “You can’t their make life too easy, because you remove their will to succeed.”
She said they try to teach the girls that money must be earned.
Straight-talking Tess said: “I’d hate to have a spoilt brat – I’d think I hadn’t done my job properly. I want them to be appreciative. “Right now, we’re setting up a pocket money system with my eldest.
“We’re doing rewards and we’ve explained that we can’t buy her everything.”
And the rules in the Daly-Kay household don’t end there.
Tess has also spoken out in the past about her attempts to limit her daughters’ access to technology.
Speaking to Made For Mums, she shared her tips on keeping a healthy balance in the age of social media and smartphones.
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She said: “I won’t let my daughters go on screens at least half an hour before bed because I think it stimulates them a little bit.
“And if my 10-year-old is Googling or looking on YouTube then she’s got to do it in a room where we’re present.
“We’ve put all the child safety settings in place, but you still can’t predict what might turn up on a YouTube or Google search.”