'I was shocked, but obviously flattered': Rhian Sugden on those racy texts from Vernon Kay (2024)

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 06:07 EDT, 23 February 2010

Glamour model Rhian Sugden has revealed she was flattered after receiving steamy messages from married TV host Vernon Kay.

The 23-year-old blonde, who like Kay hails from Bolton in Manchester, says the pair were in daily contact for four months.

But she admits she feels 'sick' now the revelations have been made public.

Rhian - one of five women Vernon has admitted to having inappropriate contact with - told heat magazine: 'It started on Twitter. In September he requested to follow me.

'I was quite taken aback, but obviously flattered. He’s a good-looking guy.'

Describing how Vernon initiated the messages, Rhian explained: 'It was just harmless banter to begin with. He said "Hello fellow Boltoner" and we started speaking about places we both knew.'

When Vernon Tweeted that he was Djing at a club night in Manchester, Rhian sent him a message saying: 'I’m jealous,' so Vernon offered to put her on the guest list.

Rhian said: 'Me and my mate were invited into his VIP area, but he didn’t say much.'

It was only afterwards that Vernon got more familiar. 'He sent me a message saying, "I saw you eyeing me up in that club," Rhian continues. "Which was rubbish, as I’d hardly looked at him all night.'

It wasn’t long before Vernon asked for Rhian’s e-mail address and the pair’s correspondence became more private.

'It was just friendly at first,' insists Rhian. 'I DJ sometimes, so he’d send me tracks he liked.'

When Vernon told Rhian he was DJing in their hometown of Bolton, he invited her along and the pair swapped numbers.

'He was more chatty this time,' she recalled. 'We were all sat on a table together and I was drunk. I sat on my friend’s knee and grabbed his leg, which escalated to a text conversation later.'

That evening Vernon messaged Rhian, saying: 'You wanted me earlier, grabbing my leg. You wanted a piece of my pert a***.'

She insists she thought it was a joke at first, so I replied, ‘Yeah, I well wanted you.'

From then on, Vernon and Rhian were in regular contact. 'We spoke every day on e-mail or text,' she says.

'It wasn’t always full-on – sometimes it would be, ‘What you doing?’ or he’d talk about boring things like the fact that he once used to clean telephone boxes.

'The flirty days would happen when I had my picture in the paper. He’d say, "You looked hot and sexy," or "Your boobs are looking great today."

'It was inappropriate stuff, but nothing as bad as people are thinking. The only pictures I ever sent were of me on Page 3, and that’s because he would text saying he hadn’t seen the paper that day.'

Rhian was careful not to blab about Vernon to all her mates, remaining discreet about her relationship with the presenter.

'I only really confided in my sister,' she says, 'She told me I needed to be careful. She said, "You can’t be friends with a married man – especially a famous one."'

She added: 'After that I couldn’t even bear to watch Family Fortunes in the same room as my mum and dad. It was weird sitting there thinking, "I know that guy quite well."'

As for his wife Tess Daly, Rhian confessed: 'At times I did think, "Where is Tess?"

'But I wasn’t complaining, I liked having his contact. Besides, he would say things like, “I miss ‘T’, she’s always working” which made me feel like we weren’t doing anything wrong.'

The pair met up a couple more times, both in Bolton nightclubs with friends around. But despite the fact that they had so much to say on text, things were different in person.

'Vernon was quite shy when we were out,' she shrugs. 'We spoke on Skype a couple of times, but were too embarrassed to say much. It suddenly became more real when we could see each other face to face.'

There was also the occasional phone call. 'If he was p***** he might call me up and ask what I was doing. And he would often sing to me down the phone.'

Their exchanges continued for the next few months. 'After we’d been at a club he texted, "That dress really suits your curves,’” Rhian admits.

'And if we brushed past each other he’d text later saying: 'You wanted to cop a feel, you want me." But I never thought it would go any further. If he’d told me he was dumping Tess, I’d have probably s**t myself. I didn’t want a relationship. He’s 36 – I’m only 23!'

When Rhian got a phonecall from The Sun newspaper telling her they’d found out about her and Vernon, she was in shock. 'I was on a flight to Tenerife,' she recalls, 'I felt sick. My legs turned to jelly and I thought, ‘How do they know?"'

Now Rhian has become a hate figure for other girls. 'A girl threw a drink at me and another spat in my face,' she grimaces.

'I know what we did was wrong. If I had a boyfriend I wouldn’t be happy if he’d behaved in this way. Vernon has been inappropriate and I shouldn’t have egged him on.

'But I’m fed up with people saying I put this story out for media attention. He’s obviously got more to lose than I have, but it’s still my life and my job and I’m getting s**t for it as well.'

Rhian has texted Vernon since, but has had no reply. She said: 'I sent a message saying, "Why has this happened? Why have you admitted to things so easily? Why didn’t you just ring me first?"

'But I got nothing back. I heard Tess has taken his phone from him.'

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