Melanie Sykes 'quit TV' after comment from MasterChef's Gregg Wallace

Melanie Sykes has vowed never to return to mainstream TV after comments made by MasterChef's Gregg Wallace.

The 53-year-old said she has quit TV for good after remarks that were made when she took part in the celebrity version of the BBC cooking show. Melanie, 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, said she felt like she was "thrown under the bus" while on Celebrity MasterChef in 2021.

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.

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Last year, she recalled 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".

However, Gregg's well-meaning words of wisdom sent Melanie on a completely different path, ultimately leading to her vowing to never again return to the small screen.

Melanie said that appearing on the show made her "decide to end her television career once and for all". She said the comment made her realise she was "done".

She told the Guardian: "I will no longer be tap-dancing for corporations who couldn’t give two hoots about my wellbeing. Mainstream TV just doesn’t interest me."

Melanie shared the admission ahead of the release of her autobiography, titled, Illuminated: Autism & All The Things I’ve Left Unsaid, last year. The book details a series of events that led her to walk away from her long-running TV career.

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