Melanie Sykes decided to quit TV career after savage dig from MasterChef's Gregg Wallace

Melanie Sykes has revealed that being apart of Celebrity Masterchef left her wanting to quit her TV career for good.

The TV presenter, 52, no longer has any interest in pursuing a career in mainstream TV, and has set her sights on a new venture instead.

The star, who is best known for co-hosting Today with Des and Mel with Des O'Connor and Let's Do Lunch with Gino D'Acampo, has vowed to never return to her TV presenting roots after her experience on Celebrity Masterchef in 2021, explaining 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.

The last time Melanie was seen on TV was during her stint on Celebrity MasterChef back in 2021 (PA)

However, the last time she was seen on TV was during her stint on Celebrity MasterChef back in 2021.

In her autobiography, Melanie 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'.

Melanie decided that she had enough of her TV career after Gregg's comment (BBC)

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.

Melanie 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.

Melanie said in her book that appearing on the show made her 'decide to end her television career once and for all' (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

She appeared on the show in 2021 (BBC/Shine TV)

"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 lead her to walk away from her long-running TV career.