Vernon Kay says Secret of his success was self help book Tess Daly recommended

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The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is an international best-seller with millions of faithful readers including Tess Daly who has initiated Vernon Kay into its wisdom and law of attraction

Vernon Kay’s wife Tess Daly helped steer him towards TV success by urging him to read self-help book, The Secret.

The guide, written by Rhonda Byrne, is based on the belief of the law of attraction – a theory that positive thoughts bring positive results, while negativity produces the opposite effect.

Presenter Vernon was happy to heed Tess’s advice – but says that even as a kid, he knew he was going to be a success.

The 47-year-old says: “When I met Tess, she said, ‘You’ve got to read The Secret’, and it was like I knew it anyway.

“If you channel what you believe in, it will manifest. And you’ve got to work hard because no one is going to give you anything.

“I’ve always believed in fate. Whatever they told me to do at school, I just didn’t pay attention – I always knew something was going to happen.

“I could have been a lorry driver with my dad but I just knew in the third year of school something was going to happen and I was going to be all right.”

Vernon shot to fame on Channel 4 ’s T4 and went on to present a string of hit ITV shows including All Star Family Fortunes, Just the Two of Us, Beat the Star, The Whole 19 Yards, Splash! and 1,000 Heartbeats.

Vernon says he is always looking ahead, but Strictly Come Dancing host Tess, 52, encourages him to live in the moment.

Dad-of-two Vernon, who married Tess in 2003, says: “I’ve been in telly 23 years and I’ve done everything I’ve ever wanted to do. Tess always tells me off for not celebrating the moment or telling myself ‘well done’ on doing this… I’m always thinking about the next thing.”

When it comes to social media, Vernon fears people “spend too much time consuming nonsense”. And he adds: “We worry about things that have no impact on us – our friends, our family, our personal space… it’s insane how it’s become a thing.”

Vernon appeared on last year’s I’m A Celebrity, finishing third.

And he says the best advice he can give this year’s contestants, who include fellow TV host Richard Madeley, is “enjoy it and forget about the outside world”.