For Tess Daly, kicking off 2026 is all about embracing pastures new. The star found her TV home in Strictly Come Dancing, the BBC show she presented for 21 years, but despite signing off from her hosting duties alongside Claudia Winkleman in December, she has never felt more sure of herself than right now.
"I have so much life experience under my belt and I enjoy the wisdom that comes with that," says Tess, 56, opening up about life in her fifties in this exclusive interview. "There's a calmness that comes that is very welcome."
In her first interview since leaving Strictly, Tess tells us about her latest projects, including the launch of her sportswear brand, NAIA Active – a branch of the swimwear label NAIA Beach, which she co-founded with her close friend Gayle Lawton in 2021.
"It's months in the making, and you care so much about the end goals. We were doing 15-hour days up until Christmas," she says of launching NAIA Active, which is geared towards women who wear sportswear all day long.
"We're thrilled with the results. It makes all the hard work worthwhile, because this is a bona fide business. This is not an endorsement deal. This is my baby."
Next chapter
Tess, who rose to fame as a model before making her TV debut in 1999 as the host of Channel 4's The Big Breakfast, is entering the next stage of her career with the support of those closest to her.
Friends including the Olympian Dame Denise Lewis and the singer Louise Redknapp joined her at the V Health Club in Mayfair for NAIA Active's launch party – and no one in her inner circle understood the importance of this new chapter better than her former Strictly co-host, Claudia.
"Claude was on her way to film [Channel 4’s music-competition show] The Piano, and she stopped en route and jumped out of the car," Tess says of her former colleague’s appearance at the party. "That's what women do wonderfully. They support each other in friendship, in business, in new ventures, and I was so touched that they showed up."
Tess's activewear line is just one of the initiatives keeping her busy. "I'm looking forward to doing other TV projects and there are a couple in the pipeline," she says. "I love working in television because I genuinely love people. As a viewer, I love anything authentically emotive that brings a tear to the eye.
"I have so much experience under my belt and I enjoy the wisdom that comes with that"
"I absolutely love running our NAIA business with my best friend Gayle and our wonderful, ever-growing team," she adds. "For a business that began life as two friends with a vision, it has evolved to something bigger than we could have imagined. I'm also hoping for the chance to have a bit of a girls' trip away with my friends – that's been a long time coming," she laughs.
As her success might suggest, Tess is impressively organised when it comes to setting goals. "I am definitely a planner. I've always been a grafter and believe that hard work delivers results," she says. "My goals are really quite simple: to continue to do the work I enjoy and which fulfils me."
Royal encounter
And she is reaping the rewards. Made an MBE by the King in November for her services to broadcasting, the star was accompanied to Windsor Castle by her husband, the BBC radio DJ Vernon Kay, and their daughters, Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16.
"The most surreal moment was when His Majesty pinned the medal to my chest," Tess recalls. "I was trying to take it all in and be in the moment, but my heart was racing with nerves and adrenaline. The day was made all the more emotional since I got to share it with Vernon and our daughters."
With Tess's achievements comes a desire to recharge away from the spotlight. "Me-time for me is a good book and a cup of tea curled up on the sofa, or catching up with girlfriends over cocktails," she tells us. "My friends boost my confidence. They are my support network."
Indeed, friendship helps Tess to focus on what matters most. "As women, we can get too hung up on external factors. We can judge ourselves too much. We can be our own harshest critics," she says.
"Let's celebrate the positives. Every woman I know is showing up in all areas of her life, trying to nurture everyone in her life, and all of us are giving it our best shot."
NAIA Active is available in sizes XS to L, from £59; naiabeach.com
To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google.