Melissa Porter
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Melissa Porter (born Wythenshawe, Manchester on 18 December 1972) is an English television presenter, best known for her BBC programmes, To Buy or Not to Buy and Escape to the Country.
[edit] Biography
After graduating with a degree in Retail Marketing, Porter worked as a marketing manager for Marks & Spencer and a brand manager for Platex. She then worked as a professional relocator for a property website based in Kensington
While on a team building exercise, a few of the instructors suggested she was quite good. 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 present a relocation show for Channel4, and then to the BBC, presenting a number of shows including Put Your Money Where You House Is (now transferred to UKTV Style), and Get a New Life.
Porter currently presents To Buy or Not to Buy and Escape to the Country, Put Your Money Where Your House Is and Fly To Buy. As a writer and property expert, Melissa has written for the Mail on Sunday and Yahoo.
In 2007 Porter will film two new series: Escape to the Country and Countryfile: The Summer Diaries; and presenting new segments on travel, relocation and buying property for Barclaycard on GMTV.
[edit] Personal life
Born of Italian-Czech parentage, Melissa got the property bug from her parents as they moved from one house renovation project to the next in Cheshire . She graduated in retail marketing from Manchester Metropolitan University and worked in marketing and property relocation before being spotted.
Melissa puts her property knowledge into practice: she is the co-founder together with Charlie Smurfit of property company Porter & Smurfit, which provides a complete design and renovation service. She has renovated and sold several homes and most recently sold her Wandsworth house without using an estate agent. She now lives in London with her partner, Simon, a music agent.
Melissa enjoys sport, particularly tennis, motoring, sailing and ski-ing, both water-skiing and black runs on snow. She is a patron of the British Thyroid Association and supports the work of sailing charity Kids Company.
