Tess Daly's 'tears' after BBC colleague branded her 'pneumatic bird-brain'

Tess Daly has been a staple connected our screens for astir 30 years - but successful a resurfaced interrogation it appears different BBC presenter dubbed the presenter arsenic a 'bird brain'

Tess Daly, the beloved BBC prima known for her long-standing relation connected Strictly Come Dancing since 2004 alongside the legendary Bruce Forsyth, has faced a fewer controversies passim her career. The 55 twelvemonth aged TV icon recovered herself astatine the centre of a media tempest pursuing her engagement successful the Diamond Jubilee coverage. A throwback to a 2013 interrogation reveals Tess addressing the harsh disapproval she faced, peculiarly from her BBC workfellow Michael Buerk, who infamously called her a "pneumatic bird-brain."

Michael – who appeared connected I'm A Celebrity alongside Gemma Collins – blasted her, saying: "The Dunkirk Little Ships, the astir evocative reminders of this country’s bravest hour, were ignored truthful that a pneumatic bird-brain from Strictly Come Dancing could talk..." He continued: "I was truthful ashamed of the BBC I would person wept if I hadn’t been truthful angry. A succession of airheads preened themselves oregon gossiped with adjacent much vacuous D-list celebrities. With hardly an objection they were cringingly inept."

Despite the enactment from her circle, Tess, joined to TV property Vernon Kay since 2003, initially chose not to retaliate. However, she yet opened up successful a Radio Times interview, asserting: "If you’re successful the nationalist eye, disapproval comes with the territory. I’m assured of my quality to thrust a amusement successful connected clip and bash my occupation well. I similar to deliberation I tin emergence supra that."

Tess Daly, a household sanction and 1 fractional of the Strictly Come Dancing presenting duo alongside Claudia Winkleman, precocious near fans gobsmacked erstwhile she revealed her existent sanction isn't 'Tess'. The starlet, who has been successful the limelight since she was 17, started her vocation arsenic a exemplary aft being spotted extracurricular a McDonald's successful Manchester.

However, backmost then, she wasn't known arsenic Tess Daly. In fact, Tess is her signifier name, a revelation that has near Strictly fans reeling. Born Helen Elizabeth Daly successful 1969 to parents Vivian and Sylvia, she adopted the moniker 'Tess' erstwhile she embarked connected her modelling vocation but ne'er legally changed it retired of respect for her folks. She explained the crushed down the sanction alteration was owed to different 'Helen Davies' already being astatine the bureau erstwhile she started modelling astatine 17.

To debar confusion, she was advised to driblet 'Helen Daly'. Her agent, who was "obsessed" with histrion Nastassja Kinski from the 1979 movie 'Tess', suggested the sanction 'Tess'. She recalled: "So Tess it was. I was gullible and impressionable. Mind you, 2 weeks later, I was successful Japan, past I travelled the world – Paris, Milan, New York."

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