Melissa Porter
| Melissa Porter | |
|---|---|
| Born |
18 December 1972 Wythenshawe, Manchester, England |
| Occupation | TV presenter |
| Known for |
To Buy or Not to Buy Escape to the Country The Renovation Game Get a New Life |
Melissa Porter (born 18 December 1972[1]) is an English television presenter, best known for her BBC programmes To Buy or Not to Buy and Escape to the Country.
Early life
Melissa Jayne Tindelia was born in Wythenshawe, Manchester,[1] the middle of three sisters of Italian-Czech parentage. Her father was an importer of luxury Italian motorcars.[2] Porter got the property bug from her parents as they moved from one house renovation project to the next in Cheshire.
Career
Miss world Contestants 1995, Miss Australia 1995. After graduating with a degree in Retail Marketing from Manchester Metropolitan University, Porter worked as a marketing manager for Marks & Spencer,Kodak and a brand manager for Playtex. She then worked as a professional relocator for a company based in Knightsbridge.
While on a team building exercise, her colleagues suggested she ought to consider a career in television. Porter put a show reel together and CV, and got her first break in 2002 on Granada TV's Men and Motors. Porter then moved to the BBC, presenting a number of shows including Put Your Money Where Your House Is and Get a New Life.[3] Porter has written on property for the Mail on Sunday and Yahoo.
In 2007, Porter presented in the series Countryfile: The Summer Diaries[4][5] and Escape to the Country.[5][6] Porter has also presented new segments on travel, relocation and buying property for Barclaycard on GMTV.[5] She has also presented on Live the Dream: As Seen on TV with Nick Barratt.[7]
Together with Charlie Smurfit she was the co-founder of property design and renovation company Porter & Smurfit. She has renovated and sold several homes and sold her former Wandsworth house without using an estate agent. In 2009, Porter joined Uber Interiors, a bespoke property design services & resource centre.
She is now the frontperson for Oral B toothpaste television advertisements.
Personal life
Formerly married to a Midlands businessman,[2] Porter has a son Pierce (born 2010), from a relationship with American businessman Peter Rinfret, the son of former White House aide Pierre Rinfret.[8]
Porter suffers from hypothyroidism[9] She is a patron of the British Thyroid Foundation.[10]
Porter enjoys sport, particularly tennis, motoring, sailing and skiing, and both water-skiing and black runs on snow.
References
- 1 2 "Me & my health: Melissa Porter.". The Journal (Newcastle, England). 31 July 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- 1 2 "Fame and Fortune: Melissa Porter". London: The Telegraph. 2008-03-25. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ↑ Melissa Porter - Arlington Enterprises at the Wayback Machine (archived July 16, 2010)
- ↑ . BBC One http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007yk5b/episodes/guide#b007xl95. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
|first1=missing|last1=in Authors list (help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - 1 2 3 "Melissa Porter". SpeakOut!. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ↑ "Escape to the Country". Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ↑ "Live The Dream As Seen on Scre". Lifestile. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ↑ Parr, Alexis; Churcher, Sharon (30 October 2011). "TV property expert Melissa Porter's tug of love with baby's American father". Daily Mail (London).
- ↑ "Melissa Porter". Daily Mail (London). 10 February 2008.
- ↑ Patrons BTF Website