Tess Daly opens up on 'heartbreaking' family farewell that left her 'sobbing on motorway'

Tess Daly has shared just how heartbreaking she found saying goodbye to her first born daughter Phoebe, 19, who left the family home last year to start university. The Strictly Come Dancing host shares her eldest and 15-year-old Amber with her long-term husband and fellow presenter Vernon Kay.

Reflecting on her family's new chapter recently, Tess, 55, recalled "sobbing" after she dropped Phoebe off to her new home, where she'll study film and television for the next few years. Speaking of the moment, the presenter shared: "I remember silently sobbing all the way back down the motorway, because she's my baby, my first born. I'm her best friend, really. It broke my heart."

Tess went on to say that seeing Phoebe with all her bags and a plate and cutlery for one was also a sad sight to see, adding: "I was heartbroken just dropping her off and waving goodbye, but it was fine because she was back after a couple of weeks, visiting.

"She comes back quite regularly." Quizzed on whether she could see her daughters following in her footsteps in the entertainment world, the presenter went on to say she was unsure as "they're still discovering themselves as people", but shared that they both have a similar interest in creative arts.

"I'm proud of the fact that they're very kind, humble, hard-working girls. We've kind of drummed that into them. There's no place for ego in our home," she added to Hello! Magazine.

During a recent interview, her first with dad Vernon, Phoebe said she is keen to work in the entertainment industry but more so behind the camera.

"I like the production and editing side,” she told The Sun's Fabulous Magazine. "I'd love to act but I'll leave presenting to my mum and dad.

"I'm just trying to understand what I want to do."

In the same chat, the couple's oldest revealed that she doesn't ever tell anybody who her parents are.

"People don’t know and I love that. I want to create my own path," she confessed.

Tess and Vernon have kept their family life mostly private over the years but occasionally give fans an insight into life away from the cameras on Instagram.

Now with Phoebe being 19, Vernon said they've taken a step back and allow her to make her own decisions.

In the same interview, he gushed: "We made a conscious decision that the girls should be able to choose whether they wanted to be in the spotlight or not. I think it’s worked in our favour.

"Amber is still young, so there’s no way she would do something like this, but Phoebe is an adult now."

He added: “It’s an interesting world with social media, so we said, ‘When you are at the right age to make your own decisions, whether you want to step into this world, be on the cover of Fabulous, then that’s up to you'."

Elsewhere in the chat, Vernon said he would "seriously consider" being a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing should the offer come his way.

Tess has been fronting the show since it's inception back in 2004 and this year they will celebrate a special 20th series.

Celebrities competing for this year's Glitterball trophy are yet to be announced, however the professional line-up has been confirmed.

Those returning to the dance floor include the show's longest-serving female pro Karen Hauer, as well as Dianne Buswell, Johannes Radebe, Gorka Marquez and Katya Jones, while Tess and Claudia Winkleman will be back on hosting duties.