Tess Daly has been presenting Strictly Come Dancing for as long as her two daughters Phoebe, 14, and Amber, ten, have been born – and they have grown up with their mum working on one of the country's most popular shows. And while they have been incredibly supportive, it was only after YouTube sensation Joe Sugg took part in the competition in 2018 that they became really excited about their mum's job. Chatting on Scummy Mummies podcast earlier in the month, Tess explained that she is now considered cool as a result. "Joe Sugg brought them back last year. They were like, 'Oh okay mum, this is cool. Can we come and watch? We love Joe Sugg," she said.
Tess Daly revealed her children have started to like Strictly again after Joe Sugg appeared in it
"Of course, they love a YouTuber don't they? YouTubers are the rock stars to this generation – the kids just love them, that's who they watch. And they watch online, they don't watch TV so much anymore," Tess continued. "That's why Joe was a genius booking, because he brought that generation of kids, who perhaps don't turn on their TV anymore on a Saturday night, because they're watching YouTube. Joe brought them back and he brought mine back, they're into it. they had a couple of years of like, 'Mum, don't make us watch again please. We've had it all our lives.'" Tess was pregnant with her oldest daughter in the first series of Strictly, adding: "I was pregnant with her in series one, she's grown up with it really. A visual reference of just how long we've been on air."
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Tess and her Strictly co-host Claudia Winkleman
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Tess opened up about motherhood during the interview and revealed that she often feels guilty about being away from her daughters on Saturdays during the Strictly period, so she makes it up to them throughout the rest of the year. "When I do Strictly Come Dancing over the winter period I am away on the Saturdays so I try and make up for it the rest of the time. 'What do you want to do today kids? Here's a full list of activities!' Trying to make up for the fact that I am not there on the Saturday for the rest of the year," she said. "I try and stress to them the importance that I go to work, my mum went to work and it's what I know and they do understand that it's important and it defines you as a person. They don't mind coming sometimes to watch."
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