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So why DID pin-up Mel Sykes vanish from the public eye? Pals reveal all about her reclusive life amid ‘tough' few years

So why DID pin-up Mel Sykes vanish from the public eye? Pals reveal all about her reclusive life amid ‘tough' few years

The Sun5 days ago
She was the ultimate 90s pin-up, the glamour girl with looks, brains and personality who was once voted the eighth sexiest woman in the world.
But fast forward three decades and Melanie Sykes - once a successful model and presenter with a string of high-profile boyfriends and legions of male fans - has practically vanished from the public eye.
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Now, the former Big Breakfast star, 54, spends her days painting - even dabbling in nude self-portraits - writing about her various health struggles and shunning showbiz parties after quitting the bright lights of the big smoke for a quiet life in the Yorkshire countryside.
And pals insist she 'feels like a completely different person' to the bombshell brunette who kickstarted her career in an ad for Boddington's beer.
A source told The Sun: 'She has had a really tough few years dealing with various health issues, and has openly admitted she has PTSD from working in the TV industry."
Quit London for Yorkshire
Mel has also openly documented her struggles with autism since being diagnosed in 2021, and publicly stated she believes she has Tourette's Syndrome too.
The source added: 'She feels like a totally changed woman from the one that was on our screens for all those years, and she is focusing on healing from her trauma, as well as focusing on her health.
Her life isn't anywhere near as glamorous as it once was, but she is much happier. She has found a love of painting, which has been really therapeutic for her.
She's even painted some nude self-portraits of herself which she has shared on her social media.
She finds it very liberating - she wanted to practice drawing the female form, so she figured why not make herself the model?'
Mel's journey from lairy ladette to practical obscurity stems from a tumultuous time in the TV industry, most notably her experience on Celebrity Masterchef in 2021, which became the catalyst for her to quit the business for good.
'I was done'
The brave mother of two sensationally walked away from her successful career after Gregg Wallace, who last week was sacked from the show following an enquiry into alleged misconduct, made inappropriate comments to her on set.
Gregg Wallace is why I ended my TV career, Melanie Sykes says - as she slams 'jaw-dropping' behaviour on MasterChef set
Mel claims that Gregg asked her if models eat, something she found 'ignorant,' before telling her that being on Masterchef would help her career.
'I didn't know what to say,' she wrote later. 'So I smiled and said: 'Yes,' but I was really thinking: 'Yes, you have finally helped me decide to end my television career once and for all. I was done.'
She called Gregg's behaviour towards her 'unprofessional' and 'jaw-dropping', said she didn't like him being around her and even made an informal complaint against the former greengrocer.
Earlier this month, 45 out of 83 allegations made against him during his tenure on the show were substantiated.
But despite the victory for Gregg's victims, and his insistence that he is 'deeply sorry' for his actions, it's not likely to instigate a return to the limelight for Mel.
These days, Mel prefers to keep in touch with her fans via online mediums where she is in control.
'Industry creates monsters'
She boasts almost 300k followers on Instagram and 6.45k subscribers to her YouTube channel, also writes a regular Substack blog, following the closure of her magazine, The Frank, last year.
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Using her various outlets, she regularly updates fans on her mental health, often sharing her artwork with hashtags such as 'recovery', 'blessed', and 'healing' or sitting down to address viewers with videos that cover everything from menopause and her autism diagnosis to her TV experiences and health woes.
She spoke recently about suffering from an irregular heartbeat, which she claimed doctors ignored and also talked at length about a recent battle with alopecia, both of which she said were triggered by the allegations made against former Let's Do Lunch co-host Gino D'ACampo, earlier this year.
After learning Gino was accused of misconduct, Mel 'didn't sleep a wink', she has said.
'This industry creates monsters,' she said on her YouTube channel, Melanie Sykes Is.
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'I feel like I was in a war zone in that industry – 24 years of battling through an industry that didn't feel right to me anyway.'
Since walking away from her lucrative telly jobs, Mel doesn't appear to be making the same money she did in her heyday, when she fronted shows such as Today with Des and Mel, Shop Well For Less and was the voice of the Blind Date reboot.
But our insider insists she is getting by.
The source said: 'Obviously she doesn't have the income she once had from all her TV and modelling jobs, which has been challenging and stressful at times, but she has savings and she makes money from writing her Substack newsletter, still has some royalties from her biography and she gets paid to speak at various festivals and events.
'She's also been getting funding for some film projects, which she is working on behind the camera and hopes one day to be able to make a living from her paintings.'
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Mel, who came third in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in 2014, was once a well-known face on the showbiz circuit.
Her modelling career, followed by a successful stint as a reporter on MTV and The Big Breakfast, catapulted her to fame and lads' mags couldn't get enough of her.
As a result Mel dated a string of famous faces, including Steve Coogan, Max Beesley and even Olly Murs. She was also in a long-term romance with Bros singer Matt Goss, which ended in 1997, when she discovered he was cheating on her.
She went on to marry twice, once in 2001 to actor Daniel Caltagrione, father of her two sons, Roman, 23, and Valentino, 21 and later, in 2013, to roofer Jack Cockings, a union which lasted barely three years. She also famously enjoyed a romance with a 24 year old-gondolier, Riccardo Simionato, who she met on a canal in Venice in 2020.
Now, however, those days of public romances are behind her.
'You won't catch Mel getting snapped with a lover again,' says a friend.
'She feels very scarred by how some of her romances played out in the media, and she feels like the way her love life was scrutinised impacted her relationships. These days, she is focused on putting herself first, not a man.'
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As for her old TV pals, Mel still keeps in touch with a few people from the industry, including Alan Carr, but, according to our source, a lot of her 'showbiz friendships have fallen by the wayside'.
'Mel prefers to keep a small circle of close friends,' our insider said. 'Since being diagnosed as neurodivergent, she has learnt a lot about herself and realised she doesn't have the energy to cope with lots of casual, flighty friendships, she finds it really draining.'
Looking to the future, feisty Mel has vowed to continue to use her voice to speak out about the wrongdoings in the TV industry with friends insisting she 'isn't afraid to call out the wrongdoings and BS she has experienced.'
The source continued, 'It's really inspiring to see how far she has come. A lot of people who have been through what Mel has been through would have totally crumbled, but she is a survivor.
"She's living proof that you can fall down in life and not only survive - but start all over again.'
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Love Island viewers call out producers for Helena and Harry's 'sad edit' after their split as they insist 'we're not buying it'
Love Island viewers call out producers for Helena and Harry's 'sad edit' after their split as they insist 'we're not buying it'

Daily Mail​

time21 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Love Island viewers call out producers for Helena and Harry's 'sad edit' after their split as they insist 'we're not buying it'

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They've given Harry more support than either Shakira or Helena, I don't understand,'; '"I'm going to miss you" Helena, Harry isn't dying, you'll see each other at events and be back mates in no time,'; 'Why are they acting like Helena/Harry was a love for the ages? I cannot deal!'; 'Can we move on from this Helena and Harry sob story now,'; The split came after a very explosive night at The Grafties where Harry came under fire for expressing interest in Shakira just days after going exclusive with Helena Following a row at the firepit where Helena said she was 'done', the pair later had an emotional chat where they confirmed their romance was over and hugged it out Later in the day Harry was seen crying in the bedroom and Helena asked if he was okay before giving him another intense embrace But viewers were sceptical of the scenes and criticised producers for laying sad music over their conversations Viewers said they 'weren't buying it' when it came to the 'sad edit', as they felt it was an ill-judged attempt at a 'redemption arc' for Harry 'They really gave Harry the redemption arc sickening,'; 'Are we supposed to care about Harry and Helena splitting up'; 'Is this episode meant to be music and Harry and Helena crying the whole episode in some attempt of a redemption arc,'; 'Can they wrap up this Harry and Helena storyline?? We are halfway through this episode and nothing has happened by tears ???'; 'No one else left in the villa. Why is it a harry and Helena episode. They broke up let's move on.' The aftermath of the Grafties continued for many of the Islanders during Sunday's episode, including Harry who came back into the Villa after sleeping outside. Sitting together inside, Harry and Shakira debriefed about how they were feeling. Harry said: 'I have really tried with her [Helena], but we [Shakira and Harry] had like a week and it was, for me, the feelings were obviously way stronger and still are. I'm sorry I never like tried again. I really thought the door was just, like, slammed.' Shakira replied: 'Do you want some home truths… it's obviously the way you go about it and the steps you take in between to come to these conclusions obviously hurt people along the way. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, they said: 'I wonder if the producers realise that we're not buying it? 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Luke Littler celebrates making darts history - and £200k payday - on stage with his girlfriend... after confirming relationship with subtle gesture on live TV
Luke Littler celebrates making darts history - and £200k payday - on stage with his girlfriend... after confirming relationship with subtle gesture on live TV

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Luke Littler celebrates making darts history - and £200k payday - on stage with his girlfriend... after confirming relationship with subtle gesture on live TV

Luke Littler capped off a sensational night at Blackpool 's Winter Gardens by confirming his relationship with his fun-loving beautician girlfriend after clinching the 2025 World Matchplay title. The 18-year-old secured £200,000 in prize money and became the youngest player ever to complete darts' prestigious Triple Crown, by defeating James Wade 18-13. His haul was just the latest milestone in a year where he bagged £500,000 for the World Championship and earned in excess of £500,000 from Premier League success, propelling his career earnings to over £1.5 million. In a breathtaking display on the night, Littler logged a 107.24 three-dart average, a 42 per cent checkout rate, and no less than 17 180s. In front of the cameras on Friday, the world champion shared a passionate kiss with Faith Millar, 19, prior to his quarter-final clash with Andrew Gilding. And after his triumph on Sunday, Littler finally confirmed that the pair are an item, after months of insisting they were merely friends. A reporter said to the teenage sensation in an interview: 'Your family and girlfriend are here', to which Littler nodded his head. The gesture was all but a verbal admission that he and Faith have gone official. The pair were first pictured together in May when Littler shared a photo of them together to his 1.9million followers on Instagram. Mail Sport had exclusively revealed in March that the duo had bonded, though a source insisted they were just pals. A source said at the time: 'Faith and Luke have become firm friends and enjoy one another's company a lot. 'Faith and Luke met a few weeks ago. They just clicked and since then have spent quite a bit of time with each other. 'They live quite close to each other so it's been easy to meet up. 'Faith has met Luke's mum and dad and some of the friends he grew up with and she's been round to his mansion a few times. Both Luke and Faith were keen to play down their relationship for months and insist that they were just friends 'Faith was with him at a BoohooMan event on Monday. 'But despite trying to stay in the background, she's been pestered quite a bit by his fans who are keen to know who she was. 'But there's no bit story there - she's a very ordinary, very sweet, normal girl. ''She works as an eyelash technician in Wigan but realises the fact that she hangs around with Luke, who is really famous, means that people will show her a bit of interest as well, she realises that. 'Faith is a very sweet girl, very bubbly and kind. It's no surprise that she and Luke get on so well.' Faith declined to comment about the friendship when approached outside her family home. But a spokesman for Littler confirmed that he and Faith had struck up a friendship but said: 'That's as far as it goes, they are just good friends for now. Nothing more. 'Luke doesn't want a girlfriend at the moment, he's focusing on his darts and is too busy travelling around the country to start up a relationship.' Millar comes from Wigan, just 15 miles from Luke's home in Warrington, Cheshire. Littler previously dated beauty consultant Eloise Milburn, who watched on at the 2024 World Darts Championship as an unknown Littler became an instant sensation by reaching the final. However, Littler reportedly ended the relationship in July of last year after his hectic schedule made it difficult for the pair to spend time together. Sunday night's win has placed Littler in rarefied air. He is now just the fifth man ever - alongside Phil Taylor, Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, and Luke Humphries - to complete Triple Crown. This includes winning the PDC World Championship, Premier League, and World Matchplay titles. Littler achieved the monumental milestone after just one and a half years as a professional.

‘Premier League should be trembling' – Fans in meltdown as Pep Guardiola shows off shock new look
‘Premier League should be trembling' – Fans in meltdown as Pep Guardiola shows off shock new look

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

‘Premier League should be trembling' – Fans in meltdown as Pep Guardiola shows off shock new look

PEP GUARDIOLA has sent Premier League fans into meltdown after he debuted a stunning new look. The Manchester City boss is hoping to mastermind his squad back to winning ways next season after finishing third in the league and going trophyless. 3 3 3 City's squad returns to pre-season on July 28 following their exploits in the Club World Cup. But the Spaniard forced fans to do a double take after spotting him with a remarkable new facial feature. Guardiola, 54, ditched his usual beard for a striking moustache. The new look quickly went viral as fans discussed it. One fan said: "The league is not ready for a bald moustache Josep Guardiola." A second said: "You can't just post 'Pep Guardiola' now has a moustache' and expect us to get on with our lives." A third added: "Bro what???" A fourth said: "Premier League should be trembling now." A fifth said: "Pep Guardiola saw the announcement of the start of production for the fourth season of Ted Lasso and decided to pay tribute to his idol." Ted Lasso recently announced its return for a fourth season, but Guardiola previously appeared in the last episode of season three of the Apple TV show, which he is a big fan of. Pep Guardiola and stunning daughter Maria belt out Oasis classic as Man City boss parties with Gallagher family at gig Guardiola could have even been inspired by a moustache he saw in 2021. He told TNT Sports correspondent Fred Caldeira at the time: "I really like your moustache, Fred. "You are so attractive and sexy." And he may be hoping the new look can give City a fresh push towards silverware. City have a pre-season game against Palermo on August 9. They then kick-off their Premier League season with an away trip to Wolves. Tottenham then visit the Etihad for City's first home game of the campaign.

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