Melinda reveals her hang-ups

5:40pm Tuesday 6th January 2009

Comments (5)   Have your say »

THERE aren’t many 37-year-old mums of three who would feel totally confident in stripping off to be photographed in their undies for a national publicity campaign - and Melinda Messenger was no exception.

“I was gobsmacked to be asked and terrified before the shoot,” said Melinda, who was launched as the face and body of a major underwear brand in August.

“At 37 and after having three kids, the prospect of being photographed in my underwear was a real kick up the bum to get myself fit and in shape.”

To help her Melinda, who is always a healthy eater, had a “brilliant lady” visit her home and help her exercise.

“It’s easy keeping going - it’s the starting that’s hard,” she said.

But it wasn’t long before she was confident enough to face the cameras in her undies.

The training will also stand her in good stead for her next challenge - it was announced today that she will be featuring in ITV’s Dancing On Ice show, which begins on Sunday.

It’s been a busy - and turbulent - year for Swindon-born Melinda, who now lives near Newbury but is a frequent visitor back to her home town.

The former customer service manager found fame as a glamour model in the 1990s and, since then, has turned her hand to acting and presenting. She has had her own chat show - Melinda’s Big Night In on Channel Five - appeared in panto and taken part in Celebrity Big Brother.

In 2008, as well as heading the underwear campaign, Melinda also launched her own perfume - Delightful.

She’s particularly pleased with Cowboy Builders, due to be shown prime time on Channel Five, in which families whose lives have been wrecked by shoddy workmen are given help. Co-presenter Dominic Littlewood goes after the dodgy builders while Melinda, who has been in property development for 10 years, helps sort out the mess they have left behind.

“It’s brilliant but it was a really emotional series to do,” she said. “We went in and were part of their lives - there were lots of tears.”

And there was turmoil in Melinda’s private life too. In April news broke that Melinda and her husband of 10 years, Wayne Roberts, had split up.

“In some ways it has been a blessing to have so much work,” she said. “It has been such a painful year and it’s been a help to be so busy.”

But although Melinda said the easy option would have been to walk away, the couple addressed their problems and Wayne moved back home in time to celebrate Christmas with Melinda and their three children - Morgan, eight, Flynn, six, and Evie, five.

“The break was neccessary and healthy for us, it’s definitely helped,” said Melinda, who didn’t want to discuss the reasons for the split but said the couple knew what their issues were.

“We've redrawn our relationship with new ground rules and are trying to be more respectful with each other,” she said.

For Melinda, a staunch supporter of Barnardo’s and other children’s charities, one of the worst aspects of the split was the effect on their youngsters.

“My heart ached for them,” she said. “They have always had Wayne around as much as me. It was painful for them for him not to be there. That’s why we've got to give this everything we’ve got. It’s still a challenge but we don’t want a split home for the children or for each other.”

One thing they are trying to do is spend as much quality time together and, busy as she is, Melinda has her priorities firmly in place. “My family is number one,” she said.