Vernon Kay

Born in Bolton in 1974, Vernon Kay never thought he would end up in showbiz. Indeed, he spent his pre-fame years doing a number of exceedingly humble jobs – we're talking cleaning schools and polishing telephone boxes.

Then, one fateful day, he was out walking in Birmingham when it started to rain, and he decided to take shelter in a nearby building – which just happened to be hosting the Clothes Show Live. An eagle-eyed model scout noticed this strapping, darkly handsome, rained-on bloke, and before long Vernon was signing on the dotted line to become a male model.

Vernon's TV career began after he was voted Model of the Week on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast. After that came a stint as a children's presenter, followed by T4, and then he was all over the place – from Liquid News to They Think It's All Over to horror comedy Shaun of the Dead.

His growing reputation as an all-round entertainer in the mould of Bruce Forsyth was cemented when he became the host of his own gameshow, HeadJam. A knockabout, celeb-packed romp through the realms of trivia, it was a big step forward for Vernon – who has since been called upon to play quizmaster on the revamped, non-naff version of Family Fortunes.

The new Richard and Judy?

Vernon's star rose further in 2003 when he married his sweetheart Tess Daly, who, like him, was a model before becoming a TV presenter. During her modelling days she even appeared in two Duran Duran videos. Yes. Two.

Shunning the usual castles-and-fireworks weddings celebrities tend to have, Vernon and Tess chose to tie the knot in a small village church close to where Vernon grew up. They turned down magazine deals to have as private a ceremony as possible, and drove off from the ceremony in a camper van. Which, let's face it, is far cooler than a Rolls.

Not just a pretty face

Being inundated with work has meant that Vernon hasn't taken a proper holiday in the past six years. Nevertheless, he's giving up even more of his free time (and massively increasing his adorable-ness) by becoming a patron of Great Ormond Street children's hospital. In fact, both he and Tess are patrons, attending fund-raising events and persuading companies to cough up their cash.

"The moment you walk in you will gasp," Vernon has said of the hospital. "You see kids walking around with more tubes in them than you can imagine. I walk out with tears in my eyes."

It's all worth it though – as Vernon and Tess managed to raise £1 million for the hospital in one year alone. What a lovely couple.

Vernon the rebel

He may be the acceptable, good-looking face of light entertainment, but Vernon Kay can be a little edgy at times. In fact, he's never been afraid to comment on the absurdities and general shallowness of the celebrity world that swirls around him.

"I think all the pop princesses are too media trained," he once said. "You don't really get that much out of them. They're a bit boring really, and I think that's unfair on the kids who just want to know more about their idols, rather than hearing rehearsed soundbites."

And he's especially irritated by one programmed habit of pretty young celebs. Namely, when "they say 'Yes, I'm single' when everyone knows they have a boyfriend or girlfriend." You tell em, Vernon.