Vernon Kay Smiles Returning to Radio 2 After Divorce

had a spring in his step as he returned to work at Radio 2 on Monday after spending the weekend with his estranged wife .

The former couple, who have been married 22 years, announced their split earlier this month and are said to be going through the 'friendliest divorce in showbiz history'.

The 'friendly exes' were spotted together on Friday night at Pub In The Park, taking selfies with fans and hanging out with pals in an incredibly amicable display.

Following his evening with Tess, 57, and their friends, Vernon was seen arriving at the radio studio to begin the working week.

Vernon was sporting a beaming smile and sported a smart casual look, opting for a cream jacket with dark trousers and trainers with a beanie hat. 

In a joint statement posted on Instagram, Vernon and Tess announced they had decided to part ways and continue to have 'care and respect' for one another.

The TV couple 'kept it classy' by sharing a bottle of champagne to toast the end of their marriage when they released the statement.

And it appears Tess and Vernon, who share two children Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16, will maintain their friendly stance when it comes to divvying up their reported £6million fortune, as well their properties and business interests.

Indeed, largely due to the couple having both secured big salaries at the BBC in recent years, the chances of either squabbling over money is unlikely, making the process a relatively comfortable one, according to sources.

An insider said: 'Vernon and Tess have been clever with their money and invested in joint projects, as well as solo ones.

'But both having high income streams means they won't need to battle it over their joint fortune as, individually, they're well off.

'So they'll walk away from this split without taking a hit financially. Compared to the majority of showbiz splits, this is rather straight-forward.'

Vernon is thought to be paid around £395,000 from his Radio 2 job, where he's one of the highest paid presenters having taken over from Ken Bruce in the plum mid-morning slot following the broadcasting veteran's departure in 2023.

Tess meanwhile, was paid in the region of £400,000 a year as the co-host of Strictly Come Dancing, a role she vacated last December after 21 years.

The former model tops up her income money by endorsing beauty products, as well as her own swimwear brand NAIA beach.

At the heart of their joint fortune is their five bedroom Buckinghamshire home worth an estimated £3million, which they bought 22 years ago for £1.18million.

The lavish property features an outdoor swimming pool, home gym, a cosy outdoor seating area, a huge open plan conservatory kitchen and living room, plus Tess's own dressing room featuring a white dressing table with a Hollywood-style lit-up mirror and drawers dedicated to all of her beauty products.

There is also room to house Tess's beloved Shetland ponies, Honey and Willow.

Vernon also owns a smart modern home in Bolton bought in 2001 for £110,000, now worth around £370,000.

In regards to shares business interests, Vernon and Tess control 21TV Limited which has £739,072 in assets which is largely investments.

One of the country's top divorce lawyers is already predicting an 'elegant resolution' in regards to completing their divorce.

David Lister, a senior partner with London based Vardags, a firm specialising in splits between high-net-worth individuals from the media and sporting world said the only possible problem might be if either Tess or Vernon have 'hidden away' any assets – an aspect he has had to deal with before in numerous high-profile divorces.

Mr Lister told the Daily Mail: 'The children are grown up so there won't be any issues there, so on the face it, it's just a matter of dealing with the couple's finances.

'These two are highly professional individuals, they will have highly efficient accountants, who will be dealing with all their income streams and assets.

'The result is that there shouldn't be any allegations of nondisclosure between them, they have been together a long time, and they have both been very successful financially, so it should be pretty straight forward.

'I should imagine the starting point will be to split all the financial assets equally between the two of them, and if there is more than enough to go around then there shouldn't be any obligation between them of an income nature.'

Mr Lister, a divorce lawyer for 39 years, added: 'This would be a good case to act on because their sources of income should be transparent because they have agents and accountants, while a lot of what we do is people hiding assets and being asked to find it and divide it.

'It will be a matter of producing accounts because it's all documented and sorting out who needs what, and so hopefully that should reduce acrimony because you won't have a party saying 'catch me and find my assets.

'If their income streams were significantly different then yes, that could cause a problem, but they appear to be self-sufficient and earn around the same amount.

'They will split the residual costs of the younger child, but this has the taste of what should be an elegant separation between them, and they can go on and coparent and carry on with their professions.

'If there was a massive difference in earnings between them, then yes there may well be problems but that doesn't appear to be the case here.'

The legal expert explained dealing with cases such as Vernon and Tess's are a welcome relief to lawyers as their finances are public, courtesy of their strong links with the BBC.

Mr Lister added: 'Cases like this are good to deal with because there is no imbalance and there is no real ability to hide assets because the paperwork should be readily available due to them having agents and their employer being the BBC.

'If one of them inherited something recently that might be an issue but on the surface of it, to me it seems to be all very fair and amicable and 50/50.

'I don't think one made more of a stellar contribution to the marriage than the other, as they both appear to have had fairly similar careers.

'As I said it this has all the aspects of an elegant resolution, it's the icing on a cake when you get a nice one like this, where they shouldn't be reasons not to disclose.

'I can't see any chasing of assets overseas which is what we specialise in and that makes it easy to deal with.'

Vernon and Tess started dating after meeting in 2001, with the former T4 host popping the question the following year on Christmas Day.

Recalling their initial encounter, he told The Telegraph: 'She didn't know anyone except me because we'd worked together that day – she spotted me in a crowd and we had a laugh.

'I was instantly attracted by how independent Tess was, and that's not changed at all.'

The pair went on to get married in Horwich, near where Vernon grew up in Lancashire, the following September.

They have been regarded as one of the strongest marriages in show business, their only blip being Vernon being caught 'sexting' Page 3 model Rhian Sugden in 2010.

Tess was devastated when she learned that Vernon had been messaging Rhian, 39, after meeting in a Bolton nightclub.

While they didn't have a sexual relationship, a distraught Tess battled to save their marriage and eventually forgave him.

Rhian later spoke about the scandal in Channel 4 documentary Page Three: The Naked Truth. She said: 'He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me. I felt like I was going up and up with my career and then that came along. I wish I'd never met him. He got to give an apology on the radio and just got to carry on, with Family Fortunes, ironically. It still makes me feel sick.'

Vernon also admitted to sending flirty messages to 'four or five girls' during the same period.

'I've let down my wife Tess. I'm an idiot,' he confessed on-air. 'I've been stupid and daft but I'm not a sex pest.' Vernon's extra-marital activities didn't only devastate Tess but also saw his career take a nose dive. Once the golden boy of ITV, he struggled to get high-profile, lucrative work until an appearance on the 2020 series of I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, where he came third, sparked a career revival.

He landed a role on Radio 2 months later, covering on weekends for Rylan Clark and Steve Wright, as well as Breakfast Show host Zoe Ball.

After Tess left Strictly last December, the pair sparked talk of becoming a new Richard and Judy-style real-life couple presenting duo after guest hosting The One Show together in

But following their shock split, the prospect of them appearing together on screen again looks bleak.

Their break-up statement read: 'This has not been an easy choice, but it comes from a place of mutual understanding and a shared desire for what is best for both of us.

'We remain great friends and most importantly, fully committed to our roles as loving and supportive parents, which will always be our priority.

'There are no other parties involved in this decision. We kindly ask for privacy during this time as we navigate this transition together. We will not be making any further public comments. Tess and Vernon.'