01 March 2024 , 14:28
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Melinda Messenger has spoken out to address rumours about her split from her fiancé Dr Raj Joshi after news of their separation broke this week.
The presenter, 53 - who's fronted shows like Fort Boyard - took to Instagram to confirm that she has split from survivalist Raj, 47, just six months after they got engaged. She also addressed speculation about their break-up.
The former glamour model didn't say why they had ended their romance but said it was "disheartening" to see her life "being inaccurately portrayed". Melinda said she had initially considered ignoring the rumours that surfaced recently.
She said: "A recent separation of mine has been shared with the newspapers by an anonymous source. While I initially considered ignoring it, the false information is rapidly spreading, and it's disheartening to see my life being inaccurately portrayed. I feel my hand has been forced so it's imperative to set the record straight."
She added: "It's important to clarify that my decision to end the relationship was not influenced but the peculiar claims made by the unnamed source, claims that those who know me would find unrecognisable. Rather, there were entirely different reasons behind my choice."
Ex model Melinda Messenger 'happier than ever' as she trains for Nepal trek
Melinda Messenger has spoken out over her split from Dr Raj JoshiThe break-up was reported by the Sun on Tuesday, with a source claiming that the pair had split due to differences in their lifestyles. They said: "Melinda is still a glam girl at the end of the day - and a life of adventure wasn’t really in her plans.
The source - who said the exes were "no longer in touch" - further commented: "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."
When contacted by the Mirror earlier this week over the claims, a representative for Melinda confirmed that the couple had split up. They however told us that the detail provided to the Sun by the source were "inaccurate".
Melinda and Raj met whilst both working on Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins last year, with the former having been a contestant, whilst the latter was a medic. They later got together and their subsequent engagement was announced in August last year.
According to OK! magazine, during an appearance on ITV's Lorraine last year, Melinda recalled: "We were both working, I'm taking part in the show and Raj is the doctor on show, but at the end, everybody gets checked out by the psychologist and the doctor to make sure you're OK.
"I was OK physically, just bruises, and I went off to meet Raj and we chatted about everything, we just hit it off. It was very unromantic... dirty, sweaty, stinky, rotten feet, in cycling shorts - but that's quite promising because a friendship started based on more important things than how I look or smell."