Vernon Kay is switching things up after ditching his signature long locks. Taking to Instagram on Friday, the radio star gave fans a glimpse of his much shorter cut, courtesy of hairstylist George Smith. Posting a selfie, Vernon, 51, joked that he had a "New lid" while showing off his peppered grey hair. Among the hundreds of comments, fans praised the presenter for leaning into his natural colour. "Embrace the grey, Vern, it really suits you," wrote one. "#10yearsyounger looks fab!! Love it!" added another. Meanwhile, a third quipped that Vernon was a "Silver fox" with his hair transformation.
Vernon Kay's candid comments about 'age anxiety'
For Vernon, who previously admitted to having "age anxiety," the decision to go grey wasn't always an easy one. Back in 2023, the 51-year-old opened up about his fears while hosting a Loose Men panel for ITV. Reflecting on his decade-spanning relationship with wife Tess Daly, Vernon said: "Travelling through life together starts when you get married, but your bodies change, and my body — I know for a fact — doesn't look like it did when we first met when I was 22.
© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock"And I think hiding behind a 'dad bod' is a sad excuse," continued Vernon. "I don't think men should be using it as an excuse not to look after themselves — you should look after yourself if you're able to and you can. I always want to be in peak shape physically. I have age anxiety — I worry about getting old, about my knees going. I am going grey — my dad had a full head of white hair at 37 — and I'm clinging on, but there's a lot in there. Turning around and seeing it in the shower tray is hard. It's thinning out at the front.
© getty"And I have sciatica, which can be so painful. I still like the stuff now that I liked as a teenager — dance music and rock 'n' roll, a beer and the occasional blow-out — but I've never tried Botox. I don't smoke, and I don't drink heavily regularly. So you sort of feel the same, but you're not the same, really."
Following his previous comments, Vernon's decision to embrace his grey hair feels profound, and we'd imagine that his wife, Tess, had been a huge source of encouragement.
Tess Daly's inspiring comments on her 'second act'
Following her exit from Strictly Come Dancing in December, Tess is looking forward to the future. In a new interview with Top Sante, the 56-year-old noted that she and her friends are experiencing a "second act wave".
"I feel like I'm seeing a lot of women my age thriving. So many girlfriends are flourishing and achieving more at this point in their careers than they have previously," she told the publication. "The generations before us were more likely to be thinking of slowing down and retiring, whereas no one I know is slowing down."
© Samir Hussein/WireImageBack in January, Tess also joined HELLO! for an exclusive interview, where she raved about living life in her '50s. "I have so much life experience under my belt and I enjoy the wisdom that comes with that," she said. "There's a calmness that comes that is very welcome."
