Vernon Kay has revealed the ultimatum wife Tess Daly gave him during the early years of their romance.
Speaking to his BBC Radio 2 listeners, the presenter recounted how in the beginning, he was so strapped for cash that his card kept bouncing, much to Tess’s frustration.
The couple, who tied the knot in 2003, faced a pivotal moment on their seventh date when Tess was ready to call it quits if things didn’t improve.
Fortunately, Vernon’s finances took a turn for the better and his card worked, allowing him to finally contribute to their outings.
The beloved radio presenter, reflecting on the experience ahead of Valentine’s Day, joked: “It took six dates. Tess and I went on six dates and I… back in the day I didn’t have a penny, honest, I was skint, and I was so skint that I wasn’t offered a Switch card.
“Remember Switch cards? I was only offered a Solo card which was the… Nationwide League of cards. It was horrendous and for the first six dates it kept bouncing, kept coming back. I had no money. Honest, I had no money.”
Vernon added: “And then on the seventh, Tess had decided that, ‘right, if this isn’t working, it’s game over’. Thankfully, I had a little bit of cash in the account and the Solo card worked. How funny!”
This light-hearted revelation follows another personal disclosure Vernon made while on air earlier this year, where he confessed to eating three breakfasts daily as part of a new health routine, reports the Manchester Evening News.
He admitted caving into a guilty pleasure in the morning, as he stopped by McDonald’s for a treat and added: “Well, I did something that I feel really guilty (but not really) about this morning. I went the Golden Arches [McDonald’s] and I doubled down as well.”
Adding another layer to his confession, he said: “I had some porridge as well. I started to kickstart my day with porridge; get me carbs in early. I’ve had three so far. I’m trying to get my calories up.”
Vernon explained this overindulgence is actually part of a grander plan: “I know, I’m trying to get my calories up and then I’ll trim them down for summer – for my holiday; for my Speedos. I am on a regime!”