Melanie Sykes was a regular on the small screen, co-hosting shows such as Today with Des and Mel with Des O'Connor and Let's Do Lunch, with Gino D'Acampo. However, the star has barely been seen on TV since her on appearance on Celebrity Masterchef in 2021. Now, she has opened up about just why she quit her TV career for good.
The 52-year-old, fun-loving TV presenter, says she no longer has any interest in pursuing a career in mainstream TV since being part of Celebrity Masterchef. In fact, she has vowed to never return to her TV presenting roots after her experience on the show. According to a report in the Mirror, she says that at times, she felt as though she was 'thrown under the bus'.
Melanie's TV presenting career began by hosting Sky One’s Real TV UK series in the mid-90s, and she went on to appear on shows including The Big Breakfast, The Paul O’Grady Show, and she also competed on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and The Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off. She now says that she has set her sights on a new venture.
READ MORE: Police cordon off woodland with forensics at the scene
A report in the national press says that Melanie's autobiography recalls a moment with MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace which made her rethink her entire TV career and all of her future TV prospects. The TV star recalls being told by Gregg that her appearance on the BBC reality show would be a boost to her career as he told her it 'would do a lot for you'.
However, Gregg's well-meaning words of wisdom sent Melanie on a completely different path, as it made her rethink her entire career and ultimately led to her vowing to never again return to the small screen. She said in her book that appearing on the show made her 'decide to end her television career once and for all'.
During her Celebrity Masterchef stint and after Gregg's comment, she realised that she was 'done' for good. "I will no longer be tap-dancing for corporations who couldn’t give two hoots about my wellbeing," she told The Guardian. "Mainstream TV just doesn’t interest me."
Melanie is gearing up to release her autobiography, titled, Illuminated: Autism & All The Things I’ve Left Unsaid, in which she explains a series of events that led her to walk away from her long-running TV career.
READ NEXT:
