Strictly's Tess Daly left in tears as she reveals 'greatest surprise of my life'

Edinburgh Live

a day ago

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Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly has revealed she was left in tears upon receiving a letter announcing her MBE for services to broadcasting.
The 56-year-old has been honoured alongside her Strictly colleague Claudia Winkleman, who has also received an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours list.
For Tess however, the recognition almost didn't happen as the crucial letter had initially gone missing.
In a statement, she shared: "This genuinely came as the greatest surprise of my life. I don't think I've come back down to earth yet, I didn't see it coming, and it almost didn't happen, because the letter went to the wrong address.
"And thank goodness, someone very kind found me. And so by the time I got it, I only had, I think it was two or three days left to accept it. There's a deadline of acceptance. I can't imagine not ever wanting to accept such a wonderful award. But of course I did.
"It was a close call indeed, given it landed at the incorrect address initially, but thankfully all ended well."
Reflecting on her emotional reaction to the letter, she added: "I cried when I opened the letter, because I just I couldn't believe it. I genuinely couldn't, and the first thing I wanted to do was tell my dad, because I lost my dad many years ago, and I know how proud my dad would have been, and I would love to have shared that news with him more than anything.
"He would have been incredibly proud in a very Northern, humble fashion. Because you're under strict instructions, of course, not to share the news before it's made public. But I must admit, I did tell immediate members of my family and swore them to secrecy."
(Image: Getty Images for the NTA's)
The presenter, who has co-hosted the BBC One dance contest since 2004, first graced our screens in 1999 when she fronted The Big Breakfast's Find Me A Model competition on Channel 4.
As a model herself, she has walked down the runway for renowned designers like Vivienne Westwood and Red Or Dead, and even featured in music videos for the English pop rock band Duran Duran.
In 2002, she hosted ITV2's coverage of celebrities arriving and celebrating backstage at the National Television Awards (NTAs). The following year, she took over from Ulrika Jonsson as the host of ITV's makeover programme Home On Their Own.
In 2004, she was appointed as co-presenter of Channel 5's Back To Reality, alongside Richard Bacon, a show that saw 12 reality TV stars cohabiting in a mansion in west London.
Her fame skyrocketed when she became the co-host of Strictly Come Dancing, presenting alongside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth until 2014, three years prior to his death at the age of 89.
(Image: PA)
Since then, she has co-presented the Saturday night show with Traitors presenter Claudia, and the duo led the coverage of its 20th anniversary series late last year.
In 2024, the show received the entertainment programme award at the Bafta TV Awards.
Upon being awarded her MBE, Tess stated: "It feels like the most wonderful honour, because when you work as a broadcaster, you're part of people's viewing habits.
"It feels like a genuine privilege for people to invite you into their living room. For example, being part of Strictly and part of people's Saturday nights for the past 20 years is something that you don't ever take that for granted, and it's just something that I've genuinely enjoyed being a part of all these years.
"And as a career, it's been something really special to share people's lives in that way it feels like a wonderful honour."
(Image: Getty Images for BAFTA)
She went on to say: "Broadcasting is without a doubt a collective effort. I've been really fortunate to work with some of the very best production teams that there are in the business. And so my biggest thanks is to them, because you're only as good as your team."
Tess will be making her comeback to the show later this year, alongside Claudia. The new cast of celebrities hoping to win the Glitterball trophy will be announced in due course.