Melissa Doyle (born 10 February 1970) is an Australian television presenter and author. She is best known for co-hosting the breakfast television program Sunrise on Seven Network from 2002 to 2013.
After spending 25 years with Seven Network, she exited in 2020. Melissa hosted many shows, including Today Tonight, 7News, Sunrise, The Latest, and Sunday Night. She is the host of Weekend Breakfast on Smooth FM.
| Melissa Doyle | |
|---|---|
 Melissa Doyle AM hosts Weekend Breakfast on Smooth FM and the documentary series This is Your Life on Seven Network. | |
| Quick Facts | |
| Name: | Melissa Jane Doyle |
| Born: | 10 February 1970 (age 54 years old) |
| Place of birth: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality: | Australian |
| Parents: | Robert (father), Virginia (mother) |
| Education: | Broadcast journalism |
| Alma mater: | Charles Sturt University |
| Occupation: | Journalist, television presenter, radio presenter, author |
| Years active: | 1990-date |
| Spouse: | John Dunlop (m. 1995) |
| Children: | Nick Dunlop (son), Natalia Grace Dunlop (daughter) |
Early Life
Melissa Doyle was born on 10 February 1970 in Artarmona, Sydney, New South Wales. Her parents – Robert and Virginia – divorced when she was two. She lived with her mother and spent the weekends with her father.
When she clocked 12, Doyle moved to live with her father. Her father, Robert, passed on to her his love for bush and animals. They went to cattle shows, and he taught her how to recognize a quality Angus steer.
Education
Doyle studied at Pymble Ladies’ College in Sydney. She completed a degree in broadcast journalism at Charles Sturt University.
Career
Doyle landed roles as a television news reporter and weather presenter at WIN TV’s Canberra bureau. She started working as a reporter and co-host of the evening news at Prime TV.
The presenter worked at Seven Network in the Canberra bureau at Parliament House and later joined the Sydney newsroom. She started to co-host Australia’s favourite breakfast program, Sunrise, in 1997.
In 2013, Doyle started to anchor Seven Network’s live rolling coverage of historical moments. She covered the release of Schapelle Corby from prison in Bali, the birth of Prince George, the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and the Lindt Café Siege in Sydney.
Melissa and the Seven News team won the Walkley Award, a Logie, and three international Edward R. Murrow Awards for their coverage of the siege. She hosted Seven Network’s flagship news and public affairs programs Sunday Night.
In 2020, Doyle left Seven Network after spending 25 years. While at the station, she hosted the 6 pm News, Sunrise, 11 am, Ansett News, Today Tonight, The Zoo, and Where Are They Now. She presented 4 pm News, 7 pm News, Sunday Night, and The Latest.
At the radio station Smooth FM, Doyle hosts the weekend breakfast programme. She received the Australian Commercial Radio Award for Best Newcomer in 2014. She interviewed Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert in 2021.
Doyle returned to hosting the Seven Network This is Your Life in July 2024.
Aside from her television career, Melissa is the author of four books – The Working Mothers Survival Guide, Alphabet Soup, 15 Seconds of Brave, and How to Age Against The Machine.
Melissa was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2016 for her significant service to the community through representational roles with a range of charitable groups and to the broadcast media.
Doyle is an Ambassador for World Vision, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Children’s Cancer Institute, and Adopt Change. She is the National Patron for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Melissa won votes as one of the ‘most real celebrity mums’ and is a multiple nominee for Silver Logie. She is the Chairperson for the GIANTS Foundation Charity and the Number One Ticket holder for the GWS Giants (AFL).
She won the Best Music Presenter during the 2018 Australian Commercial Radio award and often polls in the Top 50 of Reader’s Digest’s annual list of Most Trusted Australians.
Personal Life
Melissa Doyle married sports marketing executive John Dunlop in 1995. She met him while working as a journalist for WIN TV in Canberra at 23. After 18 months of dating, they got engaged and married two years later.
Doyle and John share two children – Nick Dunlop, born in 2001, and Natalia Grace Dunlop, born in 2003. After she had her first child, she went on maternity leave.
References
- Jummy Briggs. “Melissa Doyle shares rare family photo of her husband and son as she bids farewell to her eldest boy who is returning to the US for university“. Daily Mail.
- Georgie Kearney. “Melissa Doyle announces major family news: ‘Bawling like a baby’“. 7News.
- Robyn Doreian. “What I know about men“. SMH.
- “Melissa Doyle AM: Journalist, TV presenter, radio host and author“. Celebrity Speakers.
- “Melissa Doyle: Journalist and TV Presenter“. Adopt Change.