Melanie Sykes says an unnamed 'TV personality' groped her breasts

Melanie Sykes says an unnamed ‘TV personality’ groped her breasts at awards ceremony making her feel ‘sick’ – but didn’t tell husband in fear he would blame HER

Melanie Sykes has claimed she was groped at an awards bash by an unnamed ‘TV personality’ who grabbed her breasts while she celebrated winning a gong.

The TV presenter, 52, refused to name the household star, but admitted his actions made her feel ‘sick’ and ruined her evening.

Revealing the incident in her new autobiography Illuminated: Autism & All The Things I’ve Left Unsaid, out on Thursday, Melanie said the sexual assault took place at the Royal Society TV Awards where her ITV show Today With Des and Mel picked up an accolade.

Melanie said: ‘When we won, it was bloody exciting, but afterwards when we were having our photos taken, I kept being touched up by a TV personality, who would not leave me alone.

‘He was grabbing my breasts and being a complete pest. ‘I felt sick.’

Melanie Sykes has claimed she was groped at an awards bash by an unnamed ‘TV personality’ who grabbed her breasts while she celebrated winning a gong

The TV presenter refused to name the household star, but admitted his actions made her feel ‘sick’ and ruined her evening

Melanie avoided telling her husband at the time, actor Daniel Caltagirone, about the horrendous experience, fearing he would say it was her fault (pictured in 2009)

Melanie revealed she confided in co-host Des, who died in 2020, about the groping shortly afterwards, and the late TV veteran asked if there was anything he could do to support her.

But the presenter didn’t tell her husband at the time, actor Daniel Caltagirone, as the couple were in the midst of a bad patch and she feared he would say it was her fault, as he had previously accused her of ‘flirting’ with guests on her chat show.

Melanie added: ‘My big night was tainted by this, and I couldn’t go home and confide in Daniel because I felt he would blame me.

‘I couldn’t come home and celebrate either, as Daniel was asleep, and I didn’t want to rub his nose in my success because his career wasn’t thriving as he would have liked.’

Melanie was married to husband Daniel for eight years between 2001 and 2009 and the former couple share children Roman, 20, and Valentino, 18, together.  

In 2009, two years after Melanie’s talk show with Des was cancelled, the star cited ‘distress’ at Daniel’s ‘failure to appreciate their financial situation’ as one of the reasons for their marriage breakdown.  

The former Big Breakfast host wed her second husband Jack Cockings in 2013 after they met on Twitter but the couple only remained together for eight months. 

She had an assault charge against her dropped from police records after Jack claimed she had been physical towards him, with Melanie telling The Times years later that she’s not a ‘violent person.’ 

Melanie said the incident happened at the Royal Society TV awards after she won an accolade at the ceremony with her former co-host Des O’Connor (pictured in 2003)

Melanie revealed she confided in Des, who died in 2020, about the groping shortly afterwards, and the late TV veteran asked if there was anything he could do to support her

On Thursday, Melanie admitted she felt ’emotional’ at having her book Illuminated finally published.

She said when she wrote the piece by hand that it was a ‘stream of consciousness’ and it ‘flew out of her,’ revealing she completed the writing process in just nine days.

Melanie admitted that putting the contents of Illuminated together had been a ‘healing’ experience for her and she had kept many details disclosed in the text private throughout her career until now because she finally feels ‘ready.’ 

Melanie announced that she had been diagnosed with autism in 2021, saying it had been ‘life-affirming’ and the book is a celebration of her realisation. 

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