Strictly Come Dancing star Tess Daly is one of the UK’s most famous names – even though “Tess” isn’t actually her real name.
Fronting the popular BBC dance show, and married to Vernon Kay, Tess has been one of the country’s biggest celebs for decades.
However, the 50-year-old beauty was actually born Helen Elizabeth Daly, later deciding to change her name at the age of 17.
Born in Stockport back in 1969, her dad Vivian worked in a wallpaper factory mixing dyes while her mum Sylvia was employed at a paper mill.
Speaking about her parents, Tess told The Guardian: “My mum and dad considered a good job either nursing or working at a bank because, then, a job at a bank was for life and you had an interest-free mortgage and a pension.
Tess was actually born as Helen Elizabeth Daly, back in 1969 (Image: Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)
“My mum thought that was the perfect job and tried to persuade me.”
However, Tess had her first taste of showbiz in her teens, when she was scouted by a model agent outside a branch of McDonald’s.
Launching her career in the fashion industry, she decided to ditch the name Helen and adopted “Tess” as a stage name.
Tess is one-half of the dynamic Strictly hosting duo, along with Claudia Winkleman (Image: BBC/David Oldham)
The experience was a struggle for the young teen, as she moved to Tokyo to model for Japanese publications for some time.
She told the publication: “Initially I was terrified… I could barely speak to anyone from home without crying and having to keep the tears from my voice because you didn’t want them to worry about you.
“Yeah, it was tough.
The Strictly star is happily married to TV personality Vernon Kay (Image: Getty Images)
“[I was] penniless as well and then I started to work a little bit and I really enjoyed it. Had to go through the pain barrier though.”
Strangely, the name “Tess” has zero connection with her original name – Tess is typically derived from the names Tessa, Theresa, or Esther.
Tess has never spoken publicly about the name change, leaving it open to speculation.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
