Tess Daly has said she does not feel “any different” now in her fifties compared to when she was in her thirties.

The Strictly Come Dancing presenter, 51, added that she does not “fixate on age as a limitation”.

She told Women’s Health magazine: “Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack. I’m in my fifties now.

“That’s still a shock when I say it out loud, because I don’t feel any different to when I was in my thirties.

Strictly Come Dancing 2020
Undated BBC handout photo of Tess Daly during the final of Strictly Come Dancing 2020 (BBC)

“But I don’t fixate on age as a limitation, because it’s never held me back… confidence, to me, is just pushing yourself a little bit further than you think you can go, and you’ll always surprise yourself.”

Daly, who features as the cover star on the April edition of the magazine, also spoke about Strictly, saying she “loved it more than ever”.

She said: “I loved it (Strictly) more than ever. Of course, it was frustrating that you couldn’t hug people. If someone’s in tears or they’re leaving the show, it’s hard not being able to physically reach out.

“But Strictly is such a celebratory, feel-good show, full of warmth and sparkle and joy, I felt lucky to be a part of something that people were appreciating on a whole other level because they were stuck at home.”

Tess Daly on the April cover of Women's Health Magazine
Tess Daly stars on the April cover of Women’s Health UK (Pete Pedonomou / Women’s Health UK)

Comedian Bill Bailey was crowned the winner of the 2020 series of the popular BBC One dancing show, which was filmed with tight Coronavirus restrictions in place.

Daly’s husband, TV presenter, Vernon Kay, competed in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! at the end of last year and finished third.

Speaking about his time away from home while in the ITV series, she said: “The printer, the dishwasher, the dryer (all broke) – basically everything you need when solo parenting.

“I was like, ‘Okay, Vern, I really do need you around the house’… we’re soulmates, me and Vernon. It’s been a ride. And I love him more than ever.”

The couple have been married since 2003.

The full interview is in the April issue of Women’s Health UK, on sale from 3rd March 2021 and also available as a digital edition.