Shop Well for the Planet host Melanie Sykes is quite frankly an inspiration to us all when it comes to dating.
While the press insist on saying the 50-year old presenter, model and mum-of-two is, er, unlucky in love (she’s been married twice and has dated a series of men) we actually think she’s enjoying her life and making the most of what comes her way.
And well done to her.
But then the woman, who once did voice over for Paul O’Grady’s Channel 5 reboot of Blind Date, is the first to admit when it comes to love she has no clue.
What has Shop Well for the Planet star Melanie Sykes said about love?
“I have no idea how it works,” she once told Digital Spy. “At the end of the day if you have chemistry, you have chemistry and it’s going to work out for you. It’s that simple.”
Read more: Melanie Sykes battled ‘judgement’ while raising autistic son
And that seems to be the way it works for Mel, who says she would never meet a man off an app.
Even though she met and married one fella – Jack Cockings – after some flirty bants on Twitter.
So the press have decided that our Mel doesn’t have much luck in love.
But we disagree.
So instead, let’s take an appreciative look at her romantic history and admire her skill at bagging foxy fellas. And Steve Coogan!
Who is Mel’s boyfriend Riccardo Simionato?
Mel is currently dating 25-year-old Riccardo Simionato, a handsome gondolier who she met during a trip to Venice last year.
She didn’t seem remotely shy when she spent time with the young chap and openly smooched his face off, even though she knew eager-eyed paps were on her trail.
While some thought the fling was merely a holiday romance, Mel proved her doubters wrong and is still seeing Riccardo.
In fact, the pair were recently papped walking around London.
Who else has she dated?
Prior to dating Riccardo, Mel was linked to some high-profile names.
One was comedian Steve Coogan, who she met at a party for his film, Stan and Ollie.
Apparently the pair hit it off straight away and dated for almost a year!
Before that, Mel was supposedly seeing Olly Murs for a year, bonded by their love of fitness.
According to a source who told The Sun: “They were initially introduced through a mutual friend. They started texting for ages and some of the messages ended up getting quite saucy.
“They were bonding over her fitness programme. He was a fan of her gym selfies and thought that she had an amazing body.”
In 2018, Mel dated golfer Martin Kaymer but both kept pretty tight-lipped abut their relationship.
Although they would be caught out when they both posted from the same exotic locations at the same time on their social media accounts.
Has Meanie Sykes been married?
Mel has been married twice.
Her first husband was Tudors actor Daniel Caltagirone, with whom she has two children – Roman and Valentino.
They married in 2001 and stayed together until 2009 before going their separate ways. But they have remained firm friends.
Read more: Melanie Sykes claims she ‘cried all night’ after Keith Lemon’s comments
In 2011, the model, who first found fame in a Boddingtons beer commercial, met and married handsome roofer Jack Cockings after flirting a storm on Twitter for all to see.
Before long, the pair were dating but kept their saucy relationship pretty public.
In one naughty post, Melanie tweeted that she had “the giddiest knickers of my life” and told Jack she had “the raging horn”.
Why did Mel’s second marriage breakdown?
By August 2012, the couple were engaged and got married in Sherborne Castle in Dorset in May 2013.
Sadly their spicy relationship didn’t have a happy ending, and they went their separate ways after just seven months amid press reports of fiery rows.
According to reports, Mel was arrested and cautioned for allegedly assaulting her husband.
Later, Mel admitted she married the “wrong person”.
“The divorce was the easy bit. [The hard bit was] being married to the wrong person,” she told Hello!.
“It’s always difficult to break up with somebody, but it’s been for the best and I knew it at the time and that’s why we’re not together.”
Although, currently smitten by her Italian stallion, Mel has said she may not marry again.
“I have my kids, my health, good friends, a job I love and independence, which has always meant a lot to me, and that’s the stuff of my happiness,” she said.
“I don’t see the need to be married because, to me, it is just a financial contract. I’m very happy as I am.
“I won’t say never because none of us knows what’s around the corner. It’s just not something I think about or measure my success by.”
Mel fronts Shop Well for the Planet on BBC 2 today (October 16) at 1pm.
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