Vernon Kay reportedly earns £395,000 a year for presenting his Radio 2 show but also has a number of lucrative projects on the side
11:35, 03 Jan 2026Updated 11:35, 03 Jan 2026
Vernon Kay has been upping his side hustle game since wife Tess quit Strictly(Image: Instagram)
Vernon Kay‘s lucrative side projects after wife Tess Daly quit Strictly Come Dancing have been revealed.
Tess, 56, announced the shock news she was stepping down from the BBC show she had hosted for 21 years in October. Sidekick Claudia Winkleman also said she was quitting at the same time.
In a joint video, the pair told fans: “We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time. We just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show.”
Their last appearance was on the Strictly festive special which aired on Christmas Day. While it’s since been announced that Claudia, 53, will host her own BBC chat show – and she continues to front hugely successful series like The Traitors – Tess hasn’t made any career announcements of her own just yet.
READ MORE: Strictly’s Tess Daly explains what she eats every day including a ‘naughty snack’
Vernon takes his followers on a tour of a Parkdean caravan in his latest ad(Image: Instagram)
He’s also seen larking about on stage ‘like a Butlin’s Redcoat'(Image: Instagram)
Her husband of 22 years Vernon, who she shares daughters Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16, with, still earns a reported £395,000 a year hosting his mid morning show on Radio 2 as he continues his role with the BBC – alongside a series of ‘side hustles.’
In a video shared on Instagram in December – the same month Tess left Strictly – Vernon now looks to be flogging caravan holidays to Parkdean Resorts for just £99.
Dancing around on stage in a red sequin jacket looking like a Butlin’s Redcoat, the promo video sees Vernon showing his almost 1 million followers around the resort in Trecco Bay, South Wales.
And it seems to be an ongoing sponsorship deal, as the caption says: “We’re already looking forward to welcoming Vernon back in 2026 to check out Highfield Grange and Vauxhall Holiday Park – epic things are coming.”
Vernon regularly promotes clothes for Marks & Spencer(Image: Instagram)
Vernon has been showing off his skincare regime promoting brands like Wellman(Image: Instagram)
In the weeks since Tess quit her rumoured £400,000 a year role with Strictly, Vernon announced a partnership with toy brand LEGO. He appeared in an ad video for them on November 13 alongside eldest daughter Phoebe, which could have netted him up to £50,000.
He was also seen showing off his skincare regime on social media, promoting brands like Wellman, which wife Tess has a long-running working relationship with as the face of Wellwoman.
Vernon often DJs round the country with his Dance Sounds Of The 90s nights(Image: Instagram)
Vernon, who was scouted as a model in 1997 launching his media career, has also been going back to his roots and fronting social media campaigns for Marks & Spencer. As well as promoting the clothes online, he takes part in live shopping streams – and regularly promotes their M&S men’s ranges.
And he’s regularly spotted on the DJ circuit doing his Dance Sounds Of The 90s gigs around the UK. While this is more linked to his day job – and is helped by the Radio 2 tie-in – it’s thought Vernon rakes in “tens of thousands of pounds from these”.
In the past BBC stars have been blocked from using their licence-fee funded fame for advertising purposes, but this seems to have been relaxed in recent years – and Vernon certainly looks to be using this to cash in.
READ MORE: Man who struggled to lose weight sheds 7 stone and gets abs after spotting Instagram ad
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