Who is Melanie Sykes? Meet the Celebrity MasterChef 2021 contestant and TV presenter
Will Melanie serve up some top-class dishes?
Melanie Sykes is one of the 20 well-known contestants taking on the challenge of Celebrity MasterChef 2021.
As part of its 16th series, the staple cooking show has invited more famous folk to showcase their foodie talents under the watchful eyes of Gregg Wallace and John Torode.
TV and radio host Melanie joins the likes of Loose Women presenter Penny Lancaster and reality queen Katie Price as part of the Celebrity MasterChef 2021 line-up. But after hosting a variety of cooking-based programmes throughout her career, can she transfer those skills when it counts?
Here's all you need to know about Melanie Sykes, ahead of the show's imminent return to BBC One.
Who is Melanie Sykes?
Instagram? @msmelaniesykes
Twitter? @msmelaniesykes
Melanie Sykes has been a household name since the 1990s when she was the face of the Boddingtons Bitter ads - many viewers will remember the TV slot when she drove an ice-cream van that served pints of the pale ale and offered to stick a chocolate flake in at the top.
Soon after, Melanie's career in the public eye took flight, as she secured several presenting gigs from morning programming, such as The Big Breakfast, to award ceremonies like Miss World and the Q Awards.
From 2002 to 2006, she co-hosted lunchtime hit Today with Des and Mel with Des O'Connor, making her a popular figure in daytime TV. Later, she teamed up with TV chef Gino D'Acampo to present Let's Do Lunch with Gino and Mel, where they often demonstrated meals for the viewers to try.
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She has also hosted TV shows including The Great Pottery Throwdown and Draw It!, and regularly co-presents on Radio 2 with comedian Alan Carr.
When it comes to competing on TV, Melanie is also a dab hand - she came third in the 2014 series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! behind runner up Jake Quickenden and King of the Jungle, Carl Fogarty. She's also tried her hand at The Chase in a charity episode of the quiz show, and was crowned Star Baker in The Great Stand Up To Cancer Bake Off in 2018.
Clearly, this won't be her first time in the kitchen - here's hoping her baking prowess will prove useful again this time around!
Outside of TV, Melanie is the editor-in-chief of women's magazine Frank, which describes itself as being committed to celebrating and supporting women across the globe. She has two sons from her first marriage.
Celebrity MasterChef 2021 is set to air on BBC One later this year. To find out what else is on TV, check out our TV Guide or visit our hub for more Entertainment news.
