Mel and John met when the journalist was just 23 and she turned down an invite from John to take part in a celebrity swimming race in Canberra.
After the snub, John suggested Mel make it up to him by going out on a date, to which she agreed – and the rest was history!
Speaking of their relationship to the Sydney Morning Herald in 2014, Mel had nothing but praise for her man.
“John is just a really nice, decent human being. He is also fantastic looking. I am attracted to him in all sorts of ways,” she told the publication.
“While we were dating, he used to leave love notes. I'd find them on my car windscreen or hidden in my apartment. Early on, he also gave me a lovebird for his 'lovebird'. After 18 months we got engaged and two years later, in 1995, we got married.”
She added: “I credit John [who works in sports marketing] with my being able to combine a career and parenthood, as he's my biggest supporter. My work as a Seven News TV journalist has meant travelling to places like Beijing and Athens for the Olympic Games. When I tell John I have to go away, he says, 'Fine, I'll manage things at home.'"
In an interview with Stellar in 2020, Mel insisted that the sacrifices each of them make for the other’s careers swings both ways.
“We are not that couple that sits there and breaks down the minutiae,” she said.
“We both had the same goal, which was to have a comfortable, happy life. All our friends we’ve had in our life forever. They aren’t in telly and our happy place is a Sunday-arvo barbecue with people we love.”
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