21 September 2023 , 16:36
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Paul Hollywood tied the knot with his fiancée Melissa Spalding in a stunning Cyprus wedding - the island where he also said 'I do' to his first wife.
The Great British Bake Off judge and his landlady girlfriend are said to have wed in the grounds of a luxury hotel on the Mediterranean island with 75 of their friends and family watching on. The couple reportedly tied the knot at the Anassa Hotel and celeb pals were also in attendance, including co-star Prue Leith.
Paul and Melissa's wedding celebrations kicked off on Wednesday afternoon with a small chapel ceremony, thought to have taken place outdoors in the unspoiled grounds of the hotel's Ayia Athanasia chapel. As the couple became newlyweds, they are said to have celebrated with a reception and late-night party at the hotel. Guests reportedly partied until the early hours.
Paul is said to have married at Anassa Hotel in Cyprus (Anassa)The couple's friends and family also made the most out of the gorgeous hotel facilities in the lead-up to the big day. It is believed Paul and some guests enjoyed a lavish meal at the start of the week at Viklari Castle restaurant, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. He once said it was his most favourite restaurant. The wedding guests and happy couple were also spotted sunbathing at the luxury resort ahead of their wedding.
A source said: "It was a very tasteful and stylish wedding and the hotel management really pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable day. There was a very lively party with loud music and lots of drinking that went on until late into the night. Paul is very close to the hotel owners and they made sure that everybody had a great time," they told the Daily Mail.
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It is not the first time the TV chef has jetted out to Cyprus to say 'I do'. Speaking to The Sun, a source said: “People privately think it’s odd he’s marrying here because he has so many memories of his first wife connected. He gets treated like royalty by the owners, but what must Melissa think? She’s following in the same footsteps where he had another woman on his arm.” Paul married his first wife Alex on the island back in 1998, just a few weeks after meeting.
They welcomed their son, Josh, just three years later, and Paul was working hard as head baker at hotels in Cyprus. Their union survived Paul’s stratospheric rise to fame when he landed the role of judge on the then-BBC show Great British Bake Off, and Alex proudly posed alongside him at red-carpet events.
Paul and Alex married in Cyprus in 1998 (Getty Images)
The TV chef is said to have married Melissa at a Cyprus hotel (WireImage)However, the relationship hit the rocks in 2013, when Paul headed over to the US to judge the ill-fated American Baking Competition, alongside co-star Marcela Valladolid, 37. Rumours of their affair were confirmed, and he temporarily split from wife Alex as he and Marcela began dating. But their relationship ended just a few weeks later when he confessed he still loved his wife and wanted to make amends.
“I did have an affair in America with my co-judge and it was the biggest mistake of my life because actually I still love my wife. I made a huge mistake and at the moment Alex and myself are working things through together,” he told the Mirror in 2013. “We are just going to take things one step at a time, but I still love her, that is ultimately what it is.” Alex and Paul reconciled, and she said she was “optimistic” about their chances.
“You’ve just got to get on with life, haven’t you? I’m an eternal optimist, he’s an optimist. We’re having a good time,” she gushed. Sadly, after more claims of adultery, their marriage ended in 2017, and Alex filed for divorce. In December 2019, Paul went public with The Chequers Inn landlady Melissa and spent Christmas Day together at her pub, At the time, the star’s publicist stated: “They are very happily together.” He reportedly popped the question last year.