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Helen Elizabeth " Tess" Daly MBE (born 29 March 1969) is an English television presenter and former model. She is best known for co-presenting the BBC One dancing competition show Strictly Come Dancing (2004–2025). She announced on 23 October 2025, that she would be leaving the show after 21 years, at the end of the current series and the recording of the Christmas Special.
Six weeks after she turned 18 she undertook her first professional modelling job in Tokyo. After a series of work assignments across Asia and Europe while based in London, she was based in Paris for five years. She then returned to London for six months, before moving to New York for five years.
In 1990, Daly appeared in two Duran Duran videos for the songs "Serious" and "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)", both from the album Liberty. She also appeared nude in the video for The Beloved's 1993 song "Sweet Harmony". Daly later said of her appearance in the "Sweet Harmony" video: "I cringe when I'm reminded of the video. It was a studio of models with nothing but Elastoplast to protect our modesty."
She was later the face of Danone Shape yogurt and also of lingerie company La Senza in the UK and appeared in their Steal the Show Christmas 2009 campaign. Tess Daly steals the show at La Senza, Bras.co.uk, 2 November 2009
In 2003, Daly replaced Ulrika Jonsson as presenter of ITV makeover show Home On Their Own, a show where children made their choice of alterations to their house during the course of a weekend, while their parents went on holiday. Some of the home improvements included an Austin Powers room, individual doorbells for the children and a cinema living room.
Daly co-presented BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing from 2004 to 2025. She initially co-hosted the programme with Bruce Forsyth until he left the show in 2013; from 2014 she co-hosted with Claudia Winkleman. Daly missed the first half of the second series because she had recently given birth to her first daughter. Natasha Kaplinsky, the winner of the previous series, took her place for these episodes. In October 2025, Daly and Winkleman announced that they would leave the show following the conclusion of the latest series and the 2025 Christmas special.
In January 2007, Daly and her husband Vernon Kay co-presented the second series of Just the Two of Us on BBC One.
Daly has also hosted This Time Tomorrow and the National Lottery show broadcast on BBC One. From 2008 to 2019, Daly co-presented the BBC telethon Children in Need alongside Terry Wogan and Fearne Cotton. She also won the special Children in Need version of Strictly Come Dancing against Terry Wogan, where she was partnered with Anton du Beke. On 17 December 2008, Daly co-hosted the Royal Variety Performance.
In November 2013, Daly guest-presented an episode of The One Show alongside Matt Baker. In early 2015, she co-hosted Strictly Come Dancing charity spin-off The People's Strictly for Comic Relief for BBC One. In 2015, Daly co-hosted Being Mum, a new show for AOL alongside Rochelle Humes.
In 2019, she played an unnamed character who hosts fictional TV show The Spotlight, in the CBBC drama, Almost Never.
In 2013, she became the new face of L'Oréal. In December 2017, Daly became the new face of Vitabiotics' Wellwoman supplement brand. She is the co-founder, with former swimwear model Gayle Lawton, of the swimwear brand Naia Beach.
Daly was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2025 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.
| 2001 | L.A. Pool Party | BBC Choice | Presenter | |
| 2002 | Britain's Brainiest Kid | ITV | Presenter | |
| 2002–2003 | SMTV Live | ITV/CITV | Co-presenter | |
| 2003 | Home On Their Own | ITV/LWT | Presenter | |
| 2004 | Back to Reality | Channel 5 | Co-presenter | With Richard Bacon |
| Sport Relief | BBC One | Co-presenter | With Jamie Theakston | |
| 2004–2025 | Strictly Come Dancing | Co-presenter | With Bruce Forsyth (2004–2013) and Claudia Winkleman (2014–2025) | |
| 2006–2007 | Just the Two of Us | Co-presenter | With Vernon Kay | |
| 2008 | Sky1 | Presenter | Replaced by Amanda Holden and Phillip Schofield from 2009 | |
| Royal Variety Performance | BBC One | Co-presenter | ||
| This Time Tomorrow | Presenter | |||
| Happy Birthday Brucie! | Presenter | One-off TV special | ||
| 2008–2019 | Children in Need | Co-presenter | with Sir Terry Wogan, Dermot O'Leary, Greg James and Ade Adepitan | |
| 2013 | The One Show | Guest presenter | 1 episodes | |
| 2015 | The People's Strictly for Comic Relief | Co-presenter | With Claudia Winkleman | |
| Being Mum | AOL | Co-presenter | With Rochelle Humes | |
| 2018 | Sir Bruce: A Celebration | BBC One | Presenter | |
| 2019 | Almost Never | CBBC | Host of fictional show The Spotlight |
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