Former glamour model Rhian Sugden is writing a tell-all book that will delve into her past sexting relationship with Vernon Kay, 16 years after the scandal caused significant controversy. The book is expected to offer Sugden's perspective on the events that emerged in 2010, when Kay, then married to Tess Daly, exchanged a series of messages with Sugden.
At the time of the scandal, Kay, who was a BBC Radio 2 DJ, reportedly texted Sugden daily for four months after they met in a Bolton club. The newspaper revelations led to Kay issuing a public apology to his wife on his radio show. Kay has consistently maintained that the messages were "flirty banter" and denied any inappropriate behavior. However, Sugden has previously claimed the scandal damaged her career and that Kay "got away with it" after his apology.
An insider told a publication that Sugden has been approached with a book deal to "spill all on what really happened with Vernon." The source added that Sugden "has kept a lot of secrets over the years to protect his reputation while it inadvertently destroyed hers." Sugden is reportedly tired of being drawn back into headlines, especially following the recent announcement of Kay's divorce from Tess Daly after 22 years of marriage. Some have even accused Sugden of being responsible for the separation.
The first photograph of Sugden and Kay together, reportedly taken in 2010 at a pub in Bolton alongside comedian Peter Kay and radio host Chris Moyles, has also resurfaced. Sugden, now 39, is married to former Coronation Street actor Oliver Mellor, and they have a two-year-old son, George. She has expressed that the scandal made her "feel sick" and wished she had never met Kay. Despite vowing not to contact Sugden again after the 2010 incident, records indicate Kay messaged her again in 2016.
One source familiar with Kay from 2010 stated that Kay had introduced Sugden to his brother, father, and friends at his local pub, suggesting the relationship was not entirely clandestine. "There's so much more to this story than has ever been told," the source commented.