Getty Melanie Sykes attends the Together For Short Livesss 'Nutcracker Ball' at One Marylebone on November 20, 2018 in London, England.
Germany’s Martin Kaymer is having his best weekend of golf in about five years. The 34-year old from Dusseldorf is currently 15-under par and two strokes ahead of Adam Scott entering the final day of the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.
He shot a round of 66 at Muirfield Village Golf Club, hitting birdies at the third, ninth, 11th, 13th, 15th and 16th holes. It is the lowest 54-hole score of the German’s career. Kaymer won the U.S. Open in 2014 and the PGA Championship in 2010, but is now sitting at just No. 186 in the world rankings.
Despite his lack of recent success, he has gained a lot of attention for his personal life, which includes an on-and-off relationship with British television personality Melanie Sykes.
Here’s what you need to know about the 48-year old, her “secret” relationship with Kaymer and his previous dating history.
1. Reports Connected Sykes & Kaymer After They Frequently Traveled to the Same Places at the Same Time
According to The Sun back in Feb. 2018, Sykes and Kaymer “have jetted around the world together” on-and-off for three years to that point. Neither of them would confirm, but both appeared in United Arab Emirates while he competed at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championships.
She posted pictures of herself in a bikini with Dubai’s Burj Al-Arab hotel in the background, while he posted about the competition in Abu Dhabi. The cities are just over an hour apart by car ride.
It was not the only instance of the two visiting exotic locations at the same time, as The Sun points out.
In January 2015, Martin took part in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, at the same time that Mel was there.
And just five months later, in June 2015, they both posted pictures from the Spanish island of Mallorca.
The pictures were posted just a day apart.
The jet-setters were also in Florida at the same time, as Mel shared on social media that she was enjoying a “cheeky little stop off.”
“They are both pretty relaxed about everyone knowing of their relationship,” a source told The Sun.
2. Sykes is Best Known as the Co-Host of “Today with Des and Mel” & “Let’s Do Lunch with Gino and Mel” on ITV
Sykes got her start in television in a series of Boddingtons Beer television ads in the late nineties, according to FHM. After a variety of contributor gigs for “The Big Breakfast,” “EastEnders Revealed” and several awards show hostings, she “had a career renaissance in daytime TV, presenting Today with Des and Mel, Loose Women and Gene Detectives.”
“Today with Des and Mel” was similar to “Live with Regis and Kelly,” but with Sykes co-hosting with British comedian Desmond O’Connor. The show lasted from 2002 until it got axed in 2006.
Her career picked back up in 2011 with “Let’s Do Lunch” with Gino D’Acampo, which aired on ITV Food. D’Acampo is an Italian celebrity chef who would prepare meals, while Sykes led the way as a celebrity interviewer. The show lasted until 2014, even having a Christmas-themed alternative.
She now does voice-over work for the romance-based game show “Blind Date,” according to her IMDB page. Her Instagram page states that she is the editor in chief of The Frank Magazine, which aims its content at women over 40.
3. She is a Fitness Model
Her Instagram page states that she comes from Northern England (born in Lancashire) and is Anglo-Indian (which she states caused harassment when she was younger). She frequently posts pictures of her athletic physique in workout gear or swimsuits.
In addition to her Boddingtons commercials, she also started her media career as a model for the lingerie company Berlei. She also appeared on the cover of FHM in September 1997 along with Denise Van Outen, Melinda Messenger and Donna Air.
Her modeling has gained the attention of nearly 200,000 Instagram followers, as well as a few celebrity admirers. According to the Daily Mail, English siner Olly Murs “was said to have been a number one fan of Mel’s gym selfies” which led a close friendship. Sykes has denied any romantic fling with Murs, while he has stated that “something” happened between them.
4. Sykes Has Been Married Twice & Has 2 Children
Sykes has been married twice, which both led to public divorces. Her first marriage was to Italian actor Daniel Caltagirone. According to the Daily Mail in 2009, they got married in 2001 in the Caribbean after meeting during a radio interview on Galaxy FM.
She credited the split due to the couple’s financial troubles.
However, Sykes’s television and modelling career has stalled in recent years after she lost a series of lucrative contracts, while he has only been offered low-key roles in several small-budget productions.
And in papers released to the public after the hearing, Sykes claimed she had been left ‘distressed’ by her husband’s failure to understand their financial troubles.
She also cited her husband’s “unreasonable behaviour” as the reason for the break-up.
The couple had two children together named Valentino and Roman. A judge ruled that she would get custody of the children, as she could not “reasonably be expected to live with (Caltagirone).”
She remarried in May 2013 to Jack Cockings. He was 16 years her junior. Only months after getting hitched, she admitted to assaulting him, per the BBC. She was given a caution for common assault, which was withdrawn and removed from records in 2014. They divorced in 2016.
5. Kaymer Previously Dated Fellow Golfer Allison Micheletti
Martin Kaymer carries girlfriend Allison Micheletti’s bag in qualifying event – http://es.pn/epEYOk
Kaymer dated LPGA golfer Allison Micheletti before the two broke up in 2012. He was seen caddying for her at the 2011 Colorado Women’s Open, according to the Denver Post. He was the No. 3 player in the world at that point.
She eventually married former NHL star Mike Modano, who is 19 years her senior, in 2013. According to E! Online, she comes from a hockey family.
Allison’s dad, Joe Micheletti, is a former NHL player turned New York Rangers broadcaster. Joe retired from the sport in 1982, and his son-in-law began his NHL career four years later in 1998.
She also appeared on the reality show “Big Break Atlantis.”