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Tess Daly: Bonding on Strictly and the Dummy Fairy

Guest writer Tess Daly talks about the unique experience on Strictly Come Dancing and the dreaded Dummy Fairy.

There's been a fair bit of celebrating at ours this week. It’s mainly down to the London Warriors (the American Football team that Vernon plays for) WINNING the British American Football Championships!

Vernon so chuffed that he even wore his winner’s medal on his Channel 4 American Football TV show on Saturday morning!




[Tess Daly: After school fun and all the gossip from Strictly
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[Tess Daly: I can’t wait to be reunited with my Strictly BFF!]


In Strictly news, Brucie’s back on sparkling form and this weekend the lovely Vanessa Feltz was the latest star to be sadly voted out of the ballroom.

When they leave the show, the celebs often tell me that along with getting fit and learning to dance, it's actually the camaraderie, the banter and the new friendships that they've made that they'll miss the most.

After all there's no bonding experience quite like being thrown together in the spotlight and dancing on live TV in front of over 10 million people! It takes guts, and I for one take my hat off to them, I really do.

At last week’s Pride of Britain Awards I was honoured to present an award to the wonderful Jean ‘Bee Lady’ Bishop. A lovely woman who, at 91-years-old has raised a whopping £100,000 for charity all by simply dressing up as a bumble bee and collecting loose change in shopping centres - what a woman!

I also bumped into the gorgeous Kimberley Walsh (who starred in last year’s series of Strictly) and she told me how much she was missing being part of the show. She wishes she could do it all over again - and so do we Nimble Kimble!

At home this week we're counting the sleeps until Phoebe’s birthday as she turns the ripe old age of 9 on Wednesday. Topping her birthday wish list is a hamster, rollerblades and getting her ears pierced.

I explained to her that hamsters are nocturnal and therefore she might not see as much of her new pet as she hopes, but it hasn't put her off yet! She's going to have to wait a few more birthdays for the ear-piercing though (despite dragging me into Claire's Accessories every other week and watching longingly at the other lucky girls getting theirs pierced!)

[Tess Daly: Back To School, Back To Strictly]
[Tess Daly: Sneaking in their five-a-day and meeting Prince Harry]


I know how she feels. Throughout my own teenage years I BEGGED my parents to let me have my ears pierced. My dad finally gave in, but ONLY when I turned 16. Imagine how indignant I was when the VERY NEXT week my younger sister (aged only 13) was allowed hers pierced! Talk about livid!

Anyway, we've been busy making gift bags and sorting out the menu for the party. I'm going to do a few extra finger sandwiches and fairy cakes so the other mums can stay for a nibble and a cuppa. Seeing as I'm a sucker for retro party games we're planning on lots of fun with pass the parcel, musical chairs and pin the tail on the donkey!



For my other daughter, Amber, this week doesn’t see her B-Day, but rather her "D-Day". I.e. (ditch the) Dummy Day. We did explain that once she started "big school", it would mean that very soon The Dummy Fairy would be coming to take it away in return for a surprise gift...

But no - she's having none of it and getting her to part with it is proving a lot more challenging than we'd anticipated.

Mind you, I'm hardly one to talk. I had my dummy until the grand old age of 5! Ridiculous, I know, but I was properly addicted. I wasn’t happy unless I had one in the mouth AND one in each hand! As soon as I stepped through the door from school it was the first thing I ran for. Then one day (realising it had gone on way too long) I plucked up the courage to fling them into our open fire and there I watched them burn (very dramatic). The thing is... I was over it within a day!

So the plan is to get Amber to give up hers willingly… (any ideas on how to do this will be very gratefully received!)

Now Is it me or is it that time of the year when suddenly NOTHING in your wardrobe works anymore?! It’s no mean feat nailing those tricky tran-seasonal trends is it? Are we to dress for summer or winter? Sounds like a good excuse for some retail therapy to me. So this week I'm planning on treating myself to a day out shopping with a girlfriend – brilliant!

Have a lovely week!

Tess xxx

Read more from guest writer Tess Daly:

Tess Daly: Back To School, Back To Strictly
Tess Daly: Sneaking in their five-a-day and meeting Prince Harry
Tess Daly: After school fun and all the gossip from Strictly
Tess Daly: I can’t wait to be reunited with my Strictly BFF!