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 Porter 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
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.[6][5] 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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Me & my health: Melissa Porter.". The Journal (Newcastle, England). 31 July 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "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) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "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