Rhian Sugden, once known for her time as a Page 3 model, has finally addressed the rumors surrounding her alleged involvement with DJ Vernon Kay, who was married at the time. Their paths crossed in a nightclub back in 2010, while Vernon was still with Tess Daly. Following their meeting, the two exchanged numbers and maintained contact through texts for about four months. Notably, Vernon was also exchanging messages with several other women during this period.
Vernon has always claimed that his messaging with Rhian and others was just friendly banter, asserting that he never behaved inappropriately. He publicly apologized to Tess for the situation. Earlier this year, Vernon and Tess announced that they were ending their marriage. In a joint statement, they mentioned, “After much consideration, and with a deep sense of care and respect for one another, we have made the decision to separate amicably.”
Now at 39, Rhian has candidly shared her side of the story in her newly released autobiography. She explained to The Mirror, “Of course there’ll be mention of him [Vernon, in the book] but I think people are expecting some wild revelation about a sordid affair that didn’t happen.”
She further expressed frustration by stating, “People get less of a sentence for murder. I’d understand if there’d been a full-blown affair, but there wasn’t. Yet somehow, nearly 20 years later, it’s still something that follows me around.”
She added, “I’ve spent years building a career and businesses that I’m incredibly proud of, and I’d much rather people talked about those than one chapter of my life that refuses to go away.”
Sources also claimed that the book “isn’t about reopening old wounds or settling scores”, adding: “Rhian and Vernon both moved on with their lives, but somehow it’s always Rhian whose name gets dragged back into the headlines.”
Back in 2020, Rhian said: “He just got away with it. It ruined everything for me. I felt like I was going up and up with my career and then that came along. I wish I’d never met him.”
Vernon apologised on BBC Radio 1 to his wife and called himself an “idiot” for his part in the messages.
He also shared his side of the story on I’m A Celeb, telling his campmates: “All that stuff is in the past, we’ve forgotten about that, we’ve moved on. It’s all gone. It’s disappeared.”