Vernon Kay

Vernon Kay

Vernon Kay in 2007
Born Vernon Charles Kay
(1974-04-28) 28 April 1974
Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Residence Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
Nationality British
Alma mater Manchester Metropolitan University
Occupation
Years active 1999–present
Employer
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Television All Star Family Fortunes (2006–)
Beat the Star (2008–2009)
The Whole 19 Yards (2010)
Splash! (2013–2014)
1000 Heartbeats (2015—)
Religion Roman Catholic
Spouse(s) Tess Daly (m. 2003)
Children 2[1]
Parent(s) Norman and Gladys Kay
Website Official website

Vernon Charles Kay (born 28 April 1974) is an English television presenter, radio DJ and former model best known for his television roles with ITV, presenting shows such as All Star Family Fortunes (2006–present), Beat the Star (2008–2009) and Splash! (2013–2014).

Kay's other television presenting roles have included The Whole 19 Yards on ITV in 2010, Home For the Holidays, a Christmas entertainment show for Channel 4 in 2011 and an ITV-mini series called Let's Get Gold in 2012. In 2015, he began hosting new ITV game show 1000 Heartbeats.[2]

He also presented his own BBC Radio 1 show between 2004 and 2012. Kay currently presents his own show on Radio X.

Early life

Kay was born and brought up in Horwich, Greater Manchester, the elder son of Norman and Gladys; he has a younger brother, Stephen.[3] He attended St Joseph's RC High School in Horwich, near Bolton,.[4] He then graduated in environmental science at Manchester Metropolitan University.[5] He supports his hometown's football club Bolton Wanderers.[6] He used to be a regular visitor to Manchester nightclub the Haçienda.[3]

Career

Television

In 1995, Kay starred as an extra on the first episode of Hollyoaks on Channel 4.

Since 2006, Kay has presented primetime game show All Star Family Fortunes. In June 2015, it was announced that ITV was to rest the show until 2016 or 2017.[7]

Between 20 April 2008 and 31 May 2009, Kay presented two series of Beat the Star, a programme for ITV. For two episodes, Kay was a contestant rather than the presenter, while Phillip Schofield stood in for him.

On 17 April 2010, Kay began co-presenting a game show for ITV called The Whole 19 Yardswith Caroline Flack which lasted for eight episodes and was filmed at Pinewood Studios. The series averaged 4.1 million viewers.

In 2010, Kay was the co-host of Skating with the Stars, which was broadcast in the United States for six episodes.

In 2011, Kay was originally going to present ITV game show Sing If You Can but, after the pilot, he felt that it would be better hosted by a comedian and was replaced by Keith Lemon. On 22 October 2011, Kay hosted game show Million Dollar Mind Game. In December 2011, Kay presented the Christmas Channel 4 show Home For the Holidays. In the summer of 2012, Kay presented ITV three episode mini-series Let's Get Gold, however the show received poor viewing figures and was axed.

In 2013 and 2014, Kay, Gabby Logan and Tom Daley co-presented the ITV diving show Splash!. The programme was axed in 2014 after two series.

In 2013, after Channel 4 regained the NFL rights from the BBC, Kay was announced as a presenter of The American Football Show, airing on Saturday mornings.[8][9]

In 2014, Kay guest presented four episodes of The One Show.

In 2015, Vernon began presenting daytime quiz show, 1000 Heartbeats for ITV. The show returned for a second run in November 2015.[10] In 2016, Kay will present Drive, a new entertainment show for ITV.[11]

Kay hosted the non-broadcast pilot for a revival of Play Your Cards Right, a popular game show formerly hosted by Bruce Forsyth. The show was not commissioned for a series. In September 2015, he hosted a pilot for a new ITV game show Home Win, filmed at Fountain Studios in Wembley.[12]

Radio

In January 2004, Kay joined BBC Radio 1 and presented an entertainment show every Sunday. In April 2004, he was given the 10 am – 1 pm weekend slot, which was previously hosted by Colin Murray and Edith Bowman and previously broadcast on both Saturdays and Sundays on the popular radio network. From October 2007 Dick and Dom took over Sunday mornings; Kay's show then ran between 10 am to 1 pm on Saturday. In 2008, he was one of a team of DJ's who filled in for Edith Bowman while she was on maternity leave along with Fearne Cotton and Nihal.

On 11 February 2009, it was announced that Kay would fill in for Chris Moyles while he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief, an act he repeated on 13 July 2009 when Moyles took a day off. He also filled-in for Pete Tong's Essential Selection on Radio 1 on 10 April 2008. That same year, Kay filled in again for Chris Moyles from 10 August to 15 August when he was on holiday. From 30 November 2009 Kay, again, covered for Chris Moyles on breakfast for a whole week as Moyles, Aled Haydn Jones and Fearne Cotton were away in Uganda handing out malaria nets and seeing how the money raised from the Mount Kilimanjaro climb for Comic Relief was being spent.

On 9 November 2012, it was announced that Kay would leave BBC Radio 1 to spend more time with his family. He presented his final show in December and was replaced by Matt Edmondson.[13]

After three years since his departure from Radio 1, Kay returned to radio on the newly launched Radio X network. In September 2015, Kay began presenting the weekday morning show from 10am–1pm.[14]

Film

Kay made a cameo appearance in the 2012 film Keith Lemon: The Film.

Personal life

On 12 September 2003, Kay married Tess Daly at St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Horwich, in Bolton.[15] They have two daughters the first[16] born on 17 October 2004 in Westminster, London;[17] the second born on 30 May 2009.

Kay received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bolton on 9 July 2009, for services to entertainment.[18]

Kay is a passionate supporter of Bolton Wanderers F.C.. He is also a fan of American football, joining the Manchester Allstars at the age of 13 and reuniting the team in 2011 for a one-off match against the Birmingham Lions.[19] In 2011, he signed for the London Warriors, for whom he plays in the BAFANL Premier South division as a defensive back.[20][21]

Filmography

Television
Year Title Channel Role Notes
1999 Fully Booked BBC One Co-Presenter
2000–2005 T4 Channel 4 Co-Presenter
2003 Boys and Girls Co-Presenter
2004 HeadJam BBC Three Presenter
2005 Hit Me, Baby, One More Time ITV Presenter
2006– All Star Family Fortunes Presenter Rest until 2016/2017
2006, 2007, 2013 The Paul O'Grady Show Channel 4 / ITV Guest Presenter
2007 Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon ITV Presenter
2008–2009 Beat the Star Presenter 2 series
2010 The Whole 19 Yards Presenter 1 series
Skating with the Stars ABC Co-Presenter
2011 Home For the Holidays Channel 4 Presenter 1 series
2012 Let's Get Gold ITV Presenter 1 series
2013–2014 Splash! Co-Presenter 2 series
2013 The American Football Show Channel 4 Presenter
2014 The One Show BBC One Guest co-presenter
2015— 1000 Heartbeats ITV Presenter 2 series
2016— Drive Presenter upcoming series
Guest appearances
Radio
Year Station Role
2004–2012 BBC Radio 1 Presenter
2015— Radio X Presenter
Film
Year Title Role
2012 Keith Lemon: The Film Himself
2014 Hercules Feasting hall guest (uncredited)

References

  1. ↑ "Vernon Kay background". Officialvernonkay.com. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Vernon Kay lands new ITV daytime quiz show 1,000 Heartbeats - Hot TV - Reality TV, Soaps, News, Gossip & More - Daily Star". Dailystar.co.uk.
  3. 1 2 Relative values: Vernon Kay and his mother, Gladys The Sunday Times, 12 April 2009
  4. ↑ "Vernon's romantic proposal to Tess". The Bolton News (Newsquest Media Group). 6 January 2003. Retrieved 21 March 2008.
  5. ↑ "A happy homecoming for graduate Vernon Kay". The Bolton News (Newsquest Media Group). 10 July 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  6. ↑ Web links. Official Vernon Kay. Retrieved on 3 December 2011.
  7. ↑ Ryan Love (9 June 2015). ""Our survey says... bye" - ITV plans to rest Vernon Kay's All Star Family Fortunes". Digital Spy.
  8. ↑ "Channel 4 announces NFL presenting team". Sport on the Box. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "The American Football Show". Channel 4. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "ITV Daytime commissions 1000 Heartbeats | presscentre". Itv.com. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "Drive". "ITV Press Centre".
  12. ↑ "Lost in TV - HOME WIN with VERNON KAY". lostintv.com.
  13. ↑ Ben Cooper, Controller, BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra (1 January 1970). "Media Centre – Radio 1 announces changes to its weekend schedule". BBC. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  14. ↑ "Vernon Kay joins Radio X". itv.com/news. ITV. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "THE sun shone, the bride wore white ... and so did the groom.". The Bolton News (Newsquest Media Group). 13 September 2003.
  16. ↑ BBC. "BBC - Radio 1 - Vernon Kay - Biography". BBC UK.
  17. ↑ Births England and Wales 1984–2006. Findmypast.com. Retrieved on 3 December 2011.
  18. ↑ "A happy homecoming for graduate Vernon Kay". The Bolton News (Newsquest Media Group). 10 July 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
  19. ↑ Akbor, Ruhubia (16 February 2011). "TV star Vernon Kay joins American Football team for last game". Oldham Advertiser (M.E.N. Media). Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  20. ↑ "2011 Roster". londonwarriorsafc.co.uk. London Warriors AFC. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  21. ↑ "Vernon Kay Signs for The Warriors". London Warriors AFC. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  22. ↑ "Through The Keyhole". "ITV Press Centre".
  23. ↑ "Celebrity Squares". "ITV Press Centre".

External links

Preceded by
Andy Collins		 Host of Family Fortunes
2006–present 		Incumbent
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