Melissa Porter
Encyclopedia
Melissa Porter is an English
television presenter, best known for her BBC
programmes, To Buy or Not to Buy
and Escape to the Country
.
, the middle of three sisters of Italian
-Czech
parentage. Her father was an importer of luxury Italian motorcars. Porter got the property bug from her parents, as they moved from one house renovation project to the next in Cheshire
.
, Porter worked as a marketing manager for Marks & Spencer
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. Porter has written on property for the Mail on Sunday
and Yahoo.
In 2008 Porter filmed two new series: Escape to the Country and Countryfile: The Summer Diaries; and presented new segments on travel, relocation and buying property for Barclaycard
on GMTV
. She also presents Live the Dream: As Seen on TV with Nick Barratt
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.
businessman Peter Rinfret, the son of former White House
aide Pierre Rinfret.
Porter suffers from hypothyroidism
She is a patron of the British Thyroid Foundation
.
Porter enjoys sport, particularly tennis, motoring, sailing and skiing, and both water-skiing and black runs on snow.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
television presenter, best known for her BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programmes, To Buy or Not to Buy
To Buy or Not to Buy
To Buy or Not to Buy was a British reality television series made between 2003 and 2010 for BBC One in the UK. The final series was the eleventh and contained 90 episodes, in one of two formats—either 30 or 45 minutes in length. It aired on both BBC1 and BBC2...
and Escape to the Country
Escape to the Country
Escape to the Country is a daytime television programme aired on BBC Two. It is currently presented by Jules Hudson, Alistair Appleton, Nicki Chapman, Denise Nurse, Aled Jones and Jonnie Irwin. Previous presenters include Tim Vincent, Catherine Gee, Nick Page and Melissa Porter. In 2010-General...
.
Early life
Melissa Jayne Porter was born in DidsburyDidsbury
Didsbury is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre, in the southern half of the Greater Manchester Urban Area...
, the middle of three sisters of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
-Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
parentage. Her father was an importer of luxury Italian motorcars. Porter got the property bug from her parents, as they moved from one house renovation project to the next in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
.
Career
After graduating with a degree in Retail Marketing from Manchester Metropolitan UniversityManchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
, Porter worked as a marketing manager for Marks & Spencer
Marks & Spencer
Marks and Spencer plc is a British retailer headquartered in the City of Westminster, London, with over 700 stores in the United Kingdom and over 300 stores spread across more than 40 countries. It specialises in the selling of clothing and luxury food products...
and a brand manager for Playtex
Playtex
Playtex and PlayTex are a brand and trademark. It used to be associated with bras and women's undergarments. Currently there are two separate companies with the Playtex name....
. She then worked as a professional relocator for a company based in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
.
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. Porter has written on property for the Mail on Sunday
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
and Yahoo.
In 2008 Porter filmed two new series: Escape to the Country and Countryfile: The Summer Diaries; and presented new segments on travel, relocation and buying property for Barclaycard
Barclaycard
Barclaycard, part of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, is a global payment business. The Barclaycard was the first credit card introduced in the UK, coming into service in 1966. It enjoyed a monopoly until the introduction of the Access card in 1972....
on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
. She also presents Live the Dream: As Seen on TV with Nick Barratt
Nick Barratt
Nicholas David Barratt is an English genealogist. He is best known as genealogical consultant for series 1 to 4 of the BBC show Who Do You Think You Are?. Barratt is also the CEO of Sticks Research Agency and personal heritage site Nations Memory Bank, and executive director of FreeBMD...
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
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
house without using an estate agent. In 2009 Porter joined Uber Interiors, a bespoke property design services & resource centre.
Personal life
Formerly married to a Midlands business man, Porter has a son Pierce (born 2010), from a relationship with AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman Peter Rinfret, the son of former White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
aide Pierre Rinfret.
Porter suffers from hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone.Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of hypothyroidism worldwide but it can be caused by other causes such as several conditions of the thyroid gland or, less commonly, the pituitary gland or...
She is a patron of the British Thyroid Foundation
British Thyroid Foundation
The British Thyroid Foundation is a UK-based, patient-led, registered charity dedicated to supporting people with thyroid disorders and helping their families and people around them to understand the condition.-Function:...
.
Porter enjoys sport, particularly tennis, motoring, sailing and skiing, and both water-skiing and black runs on snow.