Shock horror – vibrant, successful showbusiness couple, seemingly a model of togetherness, separate after 22 year marriage.
My astonishment is that fans never seem to grasp that the outside of a marriage is never what the inside is like, even with ordinary folk. And exponentially so in most cases where entertainment duos are concerned.
Tess Daly, 29 March 1969, an English television presenter and former model is best known for co-presenting the BBC Strictly Come Dancing (2004–2025). She married Vernon Kay, 28 April 1974, a broadcaster and former model, now a staple of BBC radio. They married in 2003 and have two children. In 2010, he was forced to apologise to his wife after it was revealed in the press that he had been sending sexually explicit text and social media messages to a model every day for four months; and similar to “four or five” other women at the same time.
As reported by the Mail, a friend close to the couple admitted they don’t have a lot in common anymore, and they’ve “aged differently.” The source said: “Tess needs to find a rich, older man with a yacht, while Vernon is still a big kid. He loves going out and having a good time, he loves to have a drink and a laugh.”
Tess is an independent-minded, lucky, confident and go-ahead Sun Aries opposition Uranus Jupiter in Libra and trine Mars in Sagittarius. A yod of Neptune sextile Pluto inconjunct Saturn Venus in Aries will make her self-reliant, serious, well-organised. Plus a flamboyant Leo Moon. Her Mercury is in a determined, can-be-obstinate opposition to Pluto.
He is a Sun Mercury in indulgent Taurus on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Pluto and Neptune so will have problems modulating his ego and will power, veering from under to over- confident. Another yod of Sun sextile Jupiter is inconjunct an apex planet Pluto which can be controlling. His hard-edged Mars Saturn is mellowed by a trine to Jupiter but challenged in a square to Pluto. Not an easy chart. A complex character.
Very different temperaments. Evidently they don’t do much together anymore, have different interests and hobbies.
Their relationship chart is stark with a potential for serious strain from composite can-be-dominating Mars Pluto trine Saturn and Sun inconjunct Mars. Though the composite Sun trine Jupiter would smooth round rough edges at times and Jupiter square Mars Pluto would bring excitement and a power-couple vibe.
The wedding chart from 12 September 2003 with an affectionate Sun, Mercury, Venus conjunction also had the Sun square Pluto for hints of over control; with an adventurous Jupiter opposition a sparky Mars Uranus conjunction. And a yod onto apex dreamy but illusory Neptune.
What is always fascinating is to see wedding charts, with the date presumably picked for other reasons, usually echoing the themes of the relationship chart. In this case Mars Jupiter looms large in both which can bring a surge of over confidence, can be successful and also opportunistic. Sometimes it accompanies a seemed-a-good-idea-at-the-time feeling which turns out to have been overly impulsive.
Not all that glitters is what it appears on the surface. But they do appear to be making a civilized business of the separation which is laudable.
The Marriage Chart. In their marriage chart their Chiron/Lilith midpoint sits on their Venus. His “sexting” may have been the wound that never healed? A quick calculation (if correct) places their Sun/Moon midpoint at circa 5 degrees of Gemini which transiting Pluto in Aquarius has been activating, for the past few months. Pluto has also been opposing their Moon (hand family). Along with Uranus, Aquarius’s ruler entering Gemini – they have found the right time to voice underlying issues in the marriage. Vernon has a Cancer Moon in his 12th house, along with Saturn in Cancer. He would take his family duties responsibly – big kid or not. He may not show or be able to express his deep seated feelings very easily? As Neptune the ruler of his 12th house is situated in his fourth house, the Mother may have had made a deep impression on him in how he deal with women.
…home and family not hand family
“Tess needs to find a rich, older man with a yacht,” – that describes her Saturn-Venus to a T.
Have to say the split doesn’t come as a surprise given the 2010 allegations about him texting other women. Think she must have swallowed her Leo Moon pride; but I’d also see her yod as extremely problematic. The Saturn-Venus in Aries would create a lack of self-worth when it comes to feeling valued intrinsically. the Pluto in Virgo generation women I met always wanted someone to fix and the sextile to Neptune in Scorpio plays into thinking they can turn him into their soulmate.
It’s probably the recent transit Saturn/Neptune over her Mercury Pisces opposite Virgo Pluto have dropped the scales from her eyes. Probably they’ve both been able to stay busy with their TV/radio work enough to enable their excuses for why the marriage was struggling.
I have Saturn-Venus, where’s my older man with a yacht ? I want one too.
It was slightly tongue in cheek about the cookbook interpretation.
My mother has it too and she never asked for a yacht! And my dad was only a few years older. There wasn’t much romance between them but there was an obligation to their marriage vows (although there’s many things at play in their charts pointing to that).
I was only joking as I’m sure you guessed, but it’s a funny thing because when the man in my life and I met, many moons ago, he lived on a houseboat on the Thames, and he had just bought a small boat of his own, a rowing boat ! So maybe there’s something in it after all.
The simple truth is probably this: 22 years is a long time to love someone.
We may see more of this as Uranus makes its way through Gemini.
Marriage and ‘love’ are two different things, they don’t always go together, many successful marriages have lasted due to friendship and the pleasure in family life, and love can return. Casting a marriage aside because the “love has died” seems a terrible waste. A bit more Saturn required probably.
I don’t disagree with what you’re saying Claire, but sticking together after the love has died may also be a missed opportunity for growth.
Agree Saturn is the glue; but it also can throw up feelings of resentment and duty. Pluto and Uranus transits act as catalysts for change. The cosmic universe egging you to move on.
But endings are always sad I think, even when a romantic relationship has been ‘downgraded’ to a friendship, or the split’s been a long time coming.
‘Personal growth’ is a very modern psychological concept, all very “me me me”, modern psychological astrology can be used to justify all kinds of behaviour to its end. I’m not sure it’s as beneficial as it is made out to be.
I was meaning Karmic growth which is as old as the hills. The soul’s evolution – designed to move you on from a current situation or your emotional comfort blanket – often signified by the Nodes or Pluto, Saturn and Uranus transits.
Same thing I think. It’s likely that the modern ‘personal growth’ idea developed out of the Karma aspect of Hinduism and Buddhism. It’s directly linked with modern psychological astrology via the Theosophy movement of the early 20th century, which had a strong influence on many astrologers of that era, Margaret Hone and Charles Carter for example.
It’s certainly a very appealing idea for the ego, but even if I were to agree with it (I have my doubts) how can one be certain that the ‘change’ your soul requires is to walk away from your responsibilities ? Might it not be better for the “evolution” of your soul to instead change your approach in some way (to existing circumstances) and so continue to honour your obligations ?