Strictly Come Dancing's Tess Daly looks so different in throwback snap

Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly has barely aged a day since she first burst onto our screens, but an unearthed photo shows the presenter looking very different

This Saturday will see the first live show of the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, with hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman introducing this year's competing celebrities and professional dancers, while also attempting to keep the judges in check as they score each performance. Tess has been a staple on the show since its inception in 2004, and at 55 years old, she appears to have barely aged, as revealed by photos from early in her career.

Unearthed snaps from her stint as a presenter on children's show SMTV in 2003 show the former model looking radiant with shoulder-length straight hair, alongside co-presenter Brian Dowling. While viewers are accustomed to seeing Tess glammed up for the red carpet and Strictly Come Dancing, she sported a more casual look on the kids' show, donning low-rise jeans and a rugby-style top.

Married to DJ and presenter Vernon Kay, Tess kick-started her career as a model after being spotted waiting for her sister outside a McDonald's in Manchester. Her first professional photo shoot took place just weeks after her 18th birthday in 1987. She spent time modelling in London, before living in Paris for five years, and then another five years in New York. During her modelling days, she featured in two Duran Duran music videos and even went nude for The Beloved's 1993 music video for Sweet Harmony.

Tess opened up about the emotional turmoil she faced during her early days on the show. Landing the gig shortly after her first big break on SMTV Live with co-stars Brian Dowling and Steps duo Ian 'H' Watkins and Claire Richards, Tess recalled in an intimate chat with the Mirror back in 2006: "The show that turned things round for me was Strictly Come Dancing, but no one had any idea how torn up I was when I did that very first show. Yes, I made sure I looked the part and laughed and did everything I had to do, but I was completely broken up on the inside."

She shared the heartrending detail that her father's death preceding her new role was the source of her pain, given his passion for the dance world: "My dad loved ballroom dancing. He got me into it when I was a kid. It was his sort of thing - old-fashioned, graceful. He just loved it," Tess said, revealing how much he would have cherished the series.

"Everything about it would have appealed to my dad. He'd particularly liked to have seen me in the clothes I wear on the show. People may criticise the look because it's not trendy, but those clothes are beautiful. I can just hear dad saying, 'You look like a class act'. Now it is wonderful to think I've done something that would have really made my dad so very proud."