Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have been named in the King’s Birthday Honours list, but one of the Strictly Come Dancing legends almost missed out.
The TV presenting duo have both been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to broadcasting, having hosted the BBC ballroom show together for the last decade.
But Tess, 56, admitted it ‘almost didn’t happen’ after a mix-up with her letter.
‘This genuinely came as the greatest surprise of my life. I don’t think I’ve come back down to earth yet, I didn’t see it coming, and it almost didn’t happen, because the letter went to the wrong address,’ she told the PA news agency.
‘And thank goodness, someone very kind found me. And so by the time I got it, I only had, I think it was two or three days left to accept it.
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‘There’s a deadline of acceptance. I can’t imagine not ever wanting to accept such a wonderful award. But of course I did. But yes, it was cutting it fine, because it went to the wrong address first of all, but it ended well.’
Tess made her TV debut on Channel 4 back in 1999 when she hosted The Big Breakfast’s Find Me A Model competition, and five years later she joined Strictly alongside Sir Bruce Forsyth.
As well as BBC documentaries, she’s appeared on the likes of Children In Need over the years, and she’s happy to accept the recognition.
‘It feels like the most wonderful honour, because when you work as a broadcaster, you’re part of people’s viewing habits,’ she said. ‘It feels like a genuine privilege for people to invite you into their living room.’
She added that she’d never ‘take that for granted’, while heaping praise on the people behind the scenes.
‘I’ve been really fortunate to work with some of the very best production teams that there are in the business,’ she said. ‘And so my biggest thanks is to them, because you’re only as good as your team.’
Meanwhile, Tess admitted she ‘cried’ when she was finally able to open the letter, and she immediately wanted to be able to tell her late dad the news.
She added: “I cried when I opened the letter, because I just I couldn’t believe it.
‘I lost my dad many years ago, and I know how proud my dad would have been, and I would love to have shared that news with him more than anything,’ she said.
‘You’re under strict instructions, of course, not to share the news before it’s made public. But I must admit, I did tell immediate members of my family and swore them to secrecy.’
Her co-star Claudia – who also fronts The Traitors, having started her career as a TV and radio presenter on a range of BBC shows – is ‘incredibly grateful’ but the hoour.
‘It’s a real privilege to work with extraordinarily talented people and I have only got this because of them. So this is for the BBC, the traitors and the faithful, for pianos and for the cha cha,’ she said.
‘I will buy a hat and am taking my mum. I am ridiculously lucky and will celebrate with Tess by doing a paso doble.’
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