Melinda Messenger and Dr Raj Joshi have decided to end their engagement just six months after the proposal.
The former Page 3 beauty, 53, reportedly finished things with her fiancé, who she met on Celebrity SAS, following regular disputes about their way of life.
A source has said: “Melinda is still a glam girl at the end of the day – and a life of adventure wasn’t really in her plans. They fell fast and had an amazing year or so travelling the world, but decided to call it quits this year. Melinda is gutted because she thought he was the one after they bonded over such an amazing experience.”
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They added: “The wedding is off. They are no longer in touch.” Melinda’s representative has confirmed the split but stated that the source’s details were “inaccurate”. While competing on the challenging Channel 4 series, Melinda classified meeting Raj as “the greatest thing” but it was outside of the show that the realisation struck them of being more than just mates.
The former lovers initially connected on Celebrity SAS last year where Raj served as the series medic and officially became a couple in September the same year. But it was only during last summer that Raj decided to propose. In a chat with Bella Magazine, Melinda told of how meeting her future husband was “the greatest thing that came out the show”.
She stated: “I was single (I’ve been a single parent since my kids were little), and finally devoting myself to me. I realised I’d spent most of my life worrying about others. But that’s the amazing thing about life things happen when you least expect it.”
She delved into their initial encounter after she wrapped up filming and noted: “I had to go in and see him. He was asking me about my psychotherapy, we got chatting… he told me about this trek he was planning to do in Nepal I told him I loved Nepal, and he invited me along. I went, we became friends, it developed and… yeah, here we are. They do say you often meet your partner at work, and this is my work, so…”
After sparking a romantic bond in Nepal, the two declared their engagement in August 2023 while in New Zealand. Melinda disclosed this surprise news on Instagram and gave a hint about her wedding preparations. Sharing a snap of them in arm-in-arm standing against the attractive New Zealand rural backdrop, she let out: “We’ve got some very happy news to share. @raj.joshi.expedition and I got engaged in beautiful New Zealand at Matariki, the Maori New year, and we are getting married next year!”
Melinda was previously married to the father of her three children, Wayne Roberts, for 14 years before they parted ways in 2012. The former couple are proud parents to sons Morgan, 22, Flynn, 20, and 18-year old daughter Evie.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk