How Strictly Come Dancing’s Tess Daly, 54, stays looking young from yoga to £18 recommendation from Vernon’s mum
SHE shines every Saturday night as she takes to the BBC ballroom to host Strictly Come Dancing – a job she’s had since the very first series in 2004.
But almost two decades on, 54- year-old presenter Tess Daly has never looked better and has managed to not only keep ageing at bay, but somehow look years younger.
While Tess has a naturally slim physique – she’s a former teen model who worked in New York City – she’s also found exactly what works for her.
And that means that in the past twenty years, Tess, who also hosts other big BBC shows like Children in Need, has perfected the products in her make-up bag and skincare cupboard.
She’s also upped her fashion game further and steps out with her skin always glowing – something that’s not just down to the infamous Strictly tan.
But what does Tess. who has two daughters with fellow TV star husband Vernon Kay, swear by, and what is her skincare, diet and exercise regime really like?
Here, Fabulous reveals Tess’ tricks and the clever – and often affordable – ways she turns back the hands of time, including a tip handed down from her mother-in-law. It’s a ten from us!
WHAT SKINCARE PRODUCTS DOES TESS USE?
Tess credits her mum, Sylvia, with teaching her the importance of a good skincare routine from an early age.
She said in a previous interview: “When it comes to cleansing, I use micellar water with a cotton pad to take my make-up off.
“I also wouldn’t dream of going to bed without moisturising and in the morning I moisturise after I cleanse because dry skin as we know looks a lot more aged than moisturised, luminous-looking skin.”
In the chat with Evoke, Tess also said that while her products change from time to time, she had started to use Clarins Super Restorative Day Cream, which can be bought from for £77.
Other products she’s raved about in the past include Estee Lauder’s Instant Refinishing Facial Exfoliating Cream, which she revealed she used a couple of times a week.
The product, which costs around £44 promises to “softly buff dead skin and debris with micro-refined particles, refining texture and renewing clarity and radiance.”
They add: “[The] active extracts and nutrients work to boost moisture levels, visibly softening the look of pores and wrinkles.”
WHAT EXERCISE DOES TESS DO?
Despite presenting the most famous dancing show on TV, Tess’ exercise regime is less ballroom and latin and more yoga and skipping.
The star said she used to exercise on a more “ad-hoc” basis, before now doing it much more regularly.
Her favourite exercises include yoga – particularly a class she can do at home in between working and running a busy household.
She explained: “I love Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. I’ve tried others but I just keep going back to her because she has a solution for everything I’m feeling.
I love Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. I’ve tried others but I just keep going back to her
Tess Daly
“If I skip it for, say, three days in a row, I start to feel twitchy – as though I’ve missed doing something that’s good for me. I actually feel more flexible now.”
The mum-of-two has also revealed she works with a personal trainer called Sam Shaw.
Between the two of them they’ve come up with a tailored fitness plan for Tess, who prefers morning
Her trainer told Women’s Health: “We usually train in the morning to get her ready to take on her day with a winning mindset after smashing training.”
They get stuck into a varied line-up of workouts from intermittent skipping to get her heart rate up to jumping on a mini-trampoline. And Sam said her rest days are also important, as she usually has two a week.
WHAT DIET DOES TESS FOLLOW?
Tess has previously opened up about following a healthy, balanced diet, full of nutritious items.
After reading a book called The Food Pharmacy by Jean Carper which she picked up at a flea market in New York, Tess said she started to think about food differently.
She explained: “It was all about using food as an equivalent to medicine – for example, something as basic as rubbing half a garlic clove on a piece of sourdough bread and pouring olive oil on it.
“That kind of thing is brilliant for your bloodstream and your immune system.”
Since, she’s adapted this for her own busy lifestyle, and opened up about the dishes she likes to rustle up for both her and her family.
Speaking about what she typically has for breakfast, Tess previously told Getthegloss.com: “Sometimes I have a power smoothie or juice but mostly I like Greek yoghurt with a handful of frozen blueberries.
Sometimes I have a power smoothie or juice but mostly I like Greek yoghurt with a handful of frozen blueberries.
Tess Daly
“I microwave them and make a puree to put on top of the yoghurt. It’s like having pudding for breakfast – divine – or I’ll have a banana on toast with honey.”
But she also revealed that the key is, you guessed it, enjoying everything in moderation. And she’ll never hold herself back if she fancies a treat.
Tess added: “At the weekend, I’ll cook us all a nice big veggie breakfast with lots of eggs and grilled tomatoes. Lunch is usually a sandwich – I love bread, I would never ever give that up.”
Meanwhile, she’s said she eats a predominantly veggie diet, and appears to avoid red meat.
Her trainer Sam also told Women’s Health: “We focus on a slightly higher protein-based diet.
“Aiming to have some form of protein with each meal, whether that’s a veggie, vegan, fish or white meat option.”
WHAT OTHER SECRET WEAPONS DOES TESS HAVE?
As well as perfecting her skincare routine, Tess has put her youthful looking complexion down to one thing – SPF.
And she said she got the tip to use the product from none other than hubby Vernon’s mum, Gladys.
Tess explained to Evoke: “When I first met my mother-in-law over 20 years ago, I was struck by her beautiful skin, and she told me at the time that she used SPF every day of her adult life.
“She barely has a line on her face and had the most luminous skin,” Tess added as she said she now applies it under her make-up every single day, opting for factor 50 as she’s got older.
She told me at the time that she used SPF every day of her adult life
Tess Daly
Tess also said how she favours some brands over others, and that one of her go-to’s is from French pharmacy brand, La Roche Posay, which costs around £18.
Two years ago, Tess also shared how she has Ultherapy once a year – a non-invasive treatment which incorporates ultrasound to boost the skin’s natural collagen and lift it too.
The sessions cost £500 a time, but Tess said she thought it was a good investment for her skin’s future and won her compliments from friends.
Speaking about its benefits, Tess explained to The Telegraph: “A friend of mine had had the treatment a few months earlier, and she looked so great.
“She looked well-rested and her skin was glowing. I thought ‘ok, let’s give this a go’.
“I loved the fact that Ultherapy boosts your own collagen for natural-looking results, and that it was a non-invasive treatment. I think it’s quite a revelation really.”
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