Tess Daly is best known for presenting Strictly Come Dancing, which she has co-hosted since 2004, first with Bruce Forsyth and now alongside Claudia Winkleman.
Even before her long-running BBC stint, she was well-known as a presenter but the name we all know her by turns out not to be the name she was given at birth!
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The star was born in March 1969, and her parents named her Helen Elizabeth Daly, but she changed this very early in her career.
The 53-year-old started modelling after being scouted at the age of 17 while waiting for her sister outside McDonald's in Manchester.
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Since there was another model named Helen Daly in the industry, she was asked to use another name and chose "Tess" on her agent's advice, later saying this was because her agent was inspired by the Nastassja Kinski movie of the same name.
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She went on to have a hugely successful career as a model, working in Asia, London and Paris and even living in New York for five years.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe star shares two children with husband Vernon
She also starred in two Duran Duran videos and was the face of lingerie brand La Senza. Her first foray into TV work was hosting The Big Breakfast's Find Me a Model competition and she also worked on SMTV Live, fronted Home On Their Own and worked on Just the Two of Us with her husband Vernon Kay.
Despite only being known by her professional name in both modelling and television, Tess has not chosen to officially change her name.
© Photo: Getty ImagesTess got her start as a model
In 2020, she commented: "I've never changed it by deed poll anything because I think it would be disrespectful to my parents".
Tess is now a proud mother of two daughters: Amber, 13, and 18-year-old Phoebe, who is following her parents into show business, as she attends drama school.
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