Inside Mel Sykes’ love life – Italian toy-boy, X Factor fling and A-list marriage

As a renowned model and TV presenter, Melanie Sykes has graced our screens for four dazzling decades.

From her iconic ad for Boddington’s beer that shot her to fame, she has captured hearts both on and off the camera.

But behind the glitz and glamour, her love life has been nothing short of intriguing, with two marriages, on-off boyfriends, and a penchant for dating younger men, some as much as 15 years her junior.

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Get set to delve into the captivating love life of Melanie Sykes, tracing the highs and lows, the passions and heartbreaks that have coloured her romantic journey over the years.

From Italian toy-boys to an X Factor star and a slew of unconventional couplings, we’ve summed up all the juicy details of her captivating relationships.

Gondolier Toyboy

Mel had an international romance when she briefly dated a gondolier toy-boy, Riccardo Simionato, back in 2020.

The TV presenter, 52, and Riccardo, 25, had fallen for each other when Melanie paid £72 for a half-hour ride on his gondola in Venice.

The pair were pictured kissing on the trip, with Melanie later revealing she “was experiencing so much joy, it was difficult to actually care” who saw them.

They were pictured in London last October, but that was the final sighting.

However, the relationship faced the obstacle of geographical distance, with Riccardo being based in Venice and Mel residing in the UK and the pair ultimately split.

Matt Goss

Aged 22, Mel found herself in the arms of celebrity heartthrob, Matt Goss, the lead singer of Bros.

But what started as a dreamy relationship soon turned rocky.

“I wanted to laugh and have spontaneous sex and be free, but our lives were not like that,” confessed Mel.

The couple’s love story played out under the spotlight, experiencing the highs of Brosmania and the lows of Matt’s pursuit to become the “new George Michael” in America.

Mel took a significant step, moving to LA to show her commitment, only to discover that the glitzy life of a rockstar wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

“I got so bored hanging around in music studios, watching him try to write his next hit,” Mel admits.

Mel’s world came crashing down when she discovered Matt was cheating on her.

Describing the moment she found out, Mel wrote: “I was dumbstruck, devastated and totally overwhelmed.

“I had been so worried about him being jealous of me, I couldn’t believe for all these years he had been, it seemed, prolifically unfaithful. I went to the bathroom and threw up.”

Max Beesley

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Mel found herself in another relationship, this time with actor Max Beesley, who she was introduced to by Matt.

She liked Max straight away, describing him as “funny, sexy and Northern”, and it was the Hotel Babylon star who got her into football, which meant she became an avid Manchester United fan.

But the romance was short-lived, ending after nine months in December 1999.

She says: “My relationship with Max had developed into a love match, but it wasn’t to be. Despite our crazy chemistry we were on entirely different planes.”

Daniel Caltagirone

Actor Daniel Caltagirone, known for his role in the Lock Stock TV series based on Guy Ritchie’s Brit gangster flick, burst onto the scene in the early 2000s.

Their paths crossed when he appeared on Mel’s radio show to promote his series.

In just nine months, the couple got engaged, tied the knot, and eagerly awaited the arrival of their first child, son Roman, born in 2002.

However, their relationship was plagued by frequent arguments, financial disputes, and concerns about Mel’s interactions with guests on her successful ITV chat show, co-hosted with the late Des O’Connor, Today With Des And Mel, which ran from 2002 to 2006.

In an attempt to salvage their bond, they sought couples therapy and later welcomed another son, Valentino, in 2004.

Valentino was later diagnosed with autism, a condition that Mel also discovered she shares.

Despite the new addition, the relationship failed to grow stronger, ultimately leading to a bitter divorce in 2009.

Jack Cockings

Mel found a new romance with Jack Cockings, a 25-year-old roofer whom she connected with on Twitter.

They both shared a racy sense of humour, exemplified by Jack posting about their sex life on social media, leading Mel to apologise to her bosses at ITV for the incident.

Their whirlwind romance culminated in marriage in 2013 but sadly unraveled shortly before Mel’s appearance on the ITV1 series I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

Prior to her jungle stint in 2014, the couple had a heated argument at home, resulting in Mel being questioned by the police and facing inquiries from social services.

Following the collapse of her second marriage, Mel embarked on a soul-searching journey to India.

During this trip, she made a life-changing decision to embrace celibacy, feeling that her past focus on sexual relationships with boyfriends might have contributed to her difficulties.

Steve Coogan

Mel has also dated Alan Partridge actor Steve Coogan.

They were together for less than 12 months after meeting at a party for his film Stan and Ollie and hitting it off.

At the time in 2019, it was reported that Mel was “gutted but not surprised” by their split, after having fears Steve “might be more interested in staying single and acting like a playboy”.

Olly Murs

Mel found herself linked to X Factor star Olly Murs, a man 14 years her junior, igniting a romance that lasted nearly a year.

Their connection blossomed as they bonded over their shared passion for fitness, a mutual interest that brought them closer together.

While Mel didn’t explicitly mention Olly in her book, she did admit to instructing her representatives to deny the relationship when the tabloids inquired about it.

Her primary concern was her son’s exams, fearing that media attention could potentially disrupt his academic pursuits.

According to a source cited by The Sun, their introduction was through a mutual friend, and their initial communication involved lengthy text exchanges, some of which veered into flirtatious territory.

They found common ground in Mel’s fitness program, with Olly being an admirer of her gym selfies and marvelling at her impressive physique.

However, like many of her past relationships, this chapter in Mel’s love life turned out to be a brief fling.

In November 2017, their dating status was eventually revealed to the public, but their romance did not stand the test of time.

Martin Kaymer

Another of Mel’s toy boys was German golf pro Martin Kaymer, who she dated in 2018.

He was 14 years younger than her.

It’s believed they dated on and off for around three years. Although they remained tight-lipped about it, fans noticed that they often shared pictures from the same exotic locations on their social media accounts.

One of Mel’s pals said at the time: “They are both pretty relaxed about everyone knowing of their relationship.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk