Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly has shared the emotional moment she bid farewell to her eldest daughter, Phoebe, 19, who left home last year to start university. The TV presenter, who also has a 15 year old daughter Amber with husband Vernon Kay, confessed to "sobbing" on the drive back after waving goodbye to Phoebe as she embarked on her new journey studying film and television.
The star revealed: "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 share that seeing Phoebe with all her bags and a plate and cutlery set just for one was a heartbreaking sight, 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."
When quizzed about whether she could see her daughters following in her and Vernon's footsteps in the showbiz world, the 55 year old admitted she wasn't sure, as "they're still discovering themselves as people", but highlighted they both have an 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 told Hello!.
In a heart-to-heart with her dad, Vernon, Phoebe opened up about her ambitions in the entertainment world, revealing to The Sun's Fabulous Magazine that she's got her eye on the production and editing side of showbiz. "I like the production and editing side," she confessed.
Yet, acting also seems to be on her radar. She said: "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."
Interestingly, Phoebe has managed to keep her high-profile lineage under wraps, preferring to carve out her own identity. "People don't know and I love that. I want to create my own path," she divulged.
While Tess and Vernon have been quite private about their family life, they do treat fans to snippets of their personal moments on Instagram. With Phoebe now 19, Vernon shared that they've relaxed their privacy approach to let her make her own choices.
He expressed with pride: "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."
Vernon also touched on his younger daughter, Amber, saying: "Amber is still young, so there's no way she would do something like this, but Phoebe is an adult now."
He acknowledged the complexities of social media for the new generation, adding, "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'."
When the topic switched to the glitterball of Strictly Come Dancing, Vernon, who hosts on BBC Radio 2, admitted he would "seriously consider" strutting his stuff on the dance floor if the chance came his way.
Tess, who has been a staple of Strictly Come Dancing since its launch in 2004, is gearing up to celebrate the show's milestone 20th series this year.
While the celebs vying for the coveted Glitterball trophy are yet to be revealed, the line-up of professional dancers has been confirmed.
Fans can look forward to seeing familiar faces like Karen Hauer, the show's longest-serving female pro, Dianne Buswell, Johannes Radebe, Gorka Marquez and Katya Jones back on the dance floor. Tess will once again join Claudia Winkleman as co-hosts.
