When they stepped down from Strictly Come Dancing last year, it was so that Claudia Winkleman could be jettisoned into the big time with her own BBC chat show.

But Tess Daly has said that she is also ready for her ‘second act’ and feels like she’s ‘starting a new chapter in life’ at the age of 56.

The TV presenter, who hosted the BBC Saturday night show for more than two decades, said that women over 50 are now ‘thriving’ professionally, where previous generations were ‘slowing down’ and ‘retiring’ at her age.

‘I feel like I’m seeing a lot of women my age just thriving,’ she said in a new interview with Top Sante magazine.

‘So many of my girlfriends are flourishing and achieving more at this point in their lives and careers than they have perhaps previously, and I’m also seeing people all around me launching new careers.’

While her former co-presenter is gearing up for the launch of her new Friday night chat show this spring, Tess has just launched her own business – activewear brand Naia Active – with friend Gayle Lawton.

Tess Daly has said she is ready for her ‘second act’ and ‘thriving’ at 56 as she gears up for ‘new chapter’ after Strictly Come Dancing departure

When they stepped down from Strictly Come Dancing last year, it was so that Claudia Winkleman could be jettisoned into the big time with her own BBC chat show

‘I really do feel like there is a ‘second act’ wave going on, because the generations before us were more likely to be thinking about slowing down and retiring, whereas no one I know is slowing down,’ she said.

‘They’re really not. They’re kind of gearing up, discovering different creative sides of themselves in work and in life and enjoying stepping into different roles.’

The long-time presenter, who is mother to daughter Phoebe, 21, and Amber, 16, with husband Vernon Kay, 51, said she feels there is a new ‘movement’ of women starting again in ‘mid-life.’

She said: ‘I started a new business with my friend and I’m very proud of it, so yes, I do feel like there is an actual movement happening when it comes to women starting a new chapter in midlife, and I think it’s absolutely brilliant.’

She urged other women her age to who have a ‘creative urge to fill’ to ‘just go for it’, because ‘only you can make something happen.’

Tess added: ‘As long as you have your health and the determination to succeed in a new endeavour, then you need to listen to your drive and follow it, because it could end up being one of the most fulfilling things you do, even if it’s only something small or something just for you.

‘I’ve always just gone for it and taken the plunge if I’d had a calling and the drive to do something, because no one else is going to put it on a silver platter for me.’

The fitness fan said she has always been ‘fascinated by the power of food to heal’ and one of her hacks is adding a handful of seeds and nuts to every meal to ‘up my fibre and protein intake.’

Claudia and Tess presented their final episode on December 20, two months after confirming their joint departure in a shared statement

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She said ‘making your meals as colourful as possible’ is key to good nutrition and she always cooks double portions of vegetable to keep one in the fridge for the next day.

Claudia and Tess presented their final episode on December 20, two months after confirming their joint departure in a shared statement.

Announcing the surprise decision in October, they said: ‘We have loved working as a duo and hosting Strictly has been an absolute dream. We were always going to leave together and now feels like the right time.

‘We will have the greatest rest of this amazing series and we just want to say an enormous thank you to the BBC and to every single person who works on the show. They’re the most brilliant team and we’ll miss them every day.

‘We will cry when we say the last ‘keep dancing’ but we will continue to say it to each other. Just possibly in tracksuit bottoms at home while holding some pizza.’