'Family Fortunes' host Vernon Kay has admitted to flirting with a glamour model behind his wife's back.

The 35-year-old presenter is said to have infuriated wife Tess Daly - whom he has daughters Phoebe, five, and nine-month-old Amber Isabella with - by exchanging sexy messages with Page Three girl Rhian Sugden through his mobile phone and twitter account.

A spokesman for the star confirmed he had been in touch with Rhian, 23, but added: "They never at any point had a physical sexual relationship."

A source close to the couple told The Sun newspaper: "He's never had sex with her, but clearly sending a Page Three girl sexually suggestive messages is not a wise thing to do. He feels pretty stupid about sending them to her now and is obviously worried what Tess is going to say.

"She's just had a second child with him so this is the last thing she'll want to hear."

Vernon has carved out a career as a host of family-orientated shows such as 'Family Fortunes' and 'Beat The Star'. Up until this point, he and Tess, 38, were seen as one of television's most strong and successful couples.

A source close to Tess said: "This is the last thing Tess will want to hear. It's fair to say this will go down like a lead balloon."

Tess herself recently spoke about her six-year marriage to Vernon and admitted she trusted him implicitly.

She said: "Vern loves me, he loves our family. One would hope that's what's important.

"And I trust him - I have to, because what's the alternative? You've got to believe in the bloke you're with, right?"

Rhian also confirmed she had swapped "racy" messages with the TV star.

She added: "I met Vernon in a club in Bolton and we have exchanged a few racy texts."