Melanie Sykes

A popular figure on United Kingdom television for decades, Melanie Sykes was a stylish but relatable presence on such talk and lifestyle shows as "The Big Breakfast" (Channel 4/S4C, 1992-2002) and "Let's Do Lunch with Gino & Mel" (ITV, 2011-2014) as well as a regular presence on advertisements and magazine layouts. Born August 7, 1970 in the Greater Manchester town of Ashton-under-Lyne, England, she was the daughter of Caucasian and Anglo-Indian parents, and attended both high school and sixth form college in the region. Sykes first vaulted to national attention through a series of television ads for Boddingtons Bitter, which showcased her strong Northern English accent. Her photogenic qualities made her an ideal presenter for light television fare, and by 1999, Sykes was appearing on the long-running morning news and talk show "The Big Breakfast." Her experience on the program lend to presenting work on such popular primetime series as "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" (ITV, 2002- ) before moving up to co-hosting duties with Des O'Connor on "Today with Des and Mel" (ITV, 2002-2006), a chat program modeled after "Live with " (WABC/syndicated, 1983- ) in the United States. The show proved short-lived, and Sykes returned to one-off hosting and/or guest spots on talk show panels while also hosting "The A List," a radio chart show for Heart London and appearing in numerous advertisements and magazine layouts. In 2011, she again found success, this time with "Let's Do Lunch with Gino & Mel," a talk and cooking program co-hosted with celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo. Sykes also served as host for the show's seasonal spin-off, "Let's Do Christmas with Gino & Mel" (ITV, 2012-2014),which focused on meals for the holiday season. When that series ran its course, Sykes again returned to radio and one-off programs like "Missing Millions" (ITV, 2011) and "Humble Pie" (Watch, 2015) before tackling a new format. Sykes was the unseen announcer for a 2017 revival of the long-running reality/dating series "Blind Date" (Channel 5).