Melissa Whitelaw was once the talk of the town, shooting to fame for her highly-publicised three-month romance with One Direction heartthrob Niall Horan.
But the Sydney journalism student whose name was plastered in the headlines a decade ago is living a much more private life these days.
Now 32, the former model and influencer is married with a young child, and has largely escaped the public eye altogether.
She shot to fame in February 2015 after fans spotted the singer kissing the brunette beauty in Melbourne.
Social media snaps of the pair interacting then surfaced, after a girl looking very much like Melissa was spotted leaving a flight – right behind Niall in Sydney earlier that month.
At the time, Melissa’s ex-boyfriend, personal trainer Joshua Roberts, spoke out about the ‘situation’, expressing his ‘desire to move on’.
Melissa Whitelaw was once the talk of the town, shooting to fame for her highly-publicised three-month romance with One Direction heartthrob Niall Horan
She shot to fame in February 2015 after fans spotted the singer kissing the brunette beauty in Melbourne
‘What a week! I have been dragged through a situation that I wanted absolutely nothing to do with from the start, but have come out the other side, firstly, better off, and secondly, relieved,’ Joshua wrote on Instagram at the time.
In a twist, Melissa would later get back together with Joshua, and eventually marry him years later.
Melissa and Niall’s relationship fizzled out after just three months, with The Sun reporting the British hunk had found it too difficult to maintain their long-distance relationship.
A source said: ‘Niall and Melissa did well to keep their romance low-profile during their time together. They were really close and had fun whenever they went out together.
‘But realistically they always knew it was going to be tough, keeping a relationship going with such distance between them.’
With her A-list relationship now over, Melissa was free to once again pursue a low-key romance with Joshua.
The couple married in 2020 and welcomed their first child, a baby girl called Lola, in October the following year.
Shaking off the label ‘Niall’s ex’, Melissa began rebranding herself as a wellness and fitness influencer, documenting her healthy lifestyle on social media.
Melissa and Niall’s relationship fizzled out after just three months, with The Sun reporting the British hunk had found it too difficult to maintain their long-distance relationship
With her A-list relationship now over, Melissa was free to once again pursue a low-key romance with personal trainer Joshua Roberts (left)
The couple married in 2020 and welcomed their first child, a baby girl called Lola (pictured), in October the following year
Melissa also began partnering with major brands, including Nude By Nature and Supré, as well as attending glamorous red carpet events.
In 2018, she spoke to Husskie about the healthy diet behind her svelte figure.
‘I start my day with a mug of hot water, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, lemon and a drop of honey to help stimulate my digestive system,’ she told the publication.
For lunch, Melissa said she opts for a protein-packed salad, while an early dinner usually runs along the lines of ‘meat and three veg’, she said.
For exercise, Melissa said she enjoys KX Pilates (KX refers to a type of pilates known as the Kaizen eXperience), HIIT and long walks.
Melissa has largely dropped off the radar in recent years, having last set foot on a red carpet back in 2019 when she attended Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia.
By late 2023, she had deleted her Instagram page and stopped posting on Facebook.
In one of her final posts, Melissa hinted at overcoming personal struggles after sharing two photos of herself on her birthday, taken a year apart.
‘What a difference a year makes. If you’d have told the broken little girl in the second photo that she would become the strong woman in the first one she’d never have believed you… one year older feeling ten times wiser and ten times more grateful to be here,’ she wrote.
’30th birthday – Play dough party, homemade brownies and a night of bananagrams.. it wasn’t much and that’s what made it everything,’ she added.
Her final post is a close-up photo of Lola, with the simple caption: ‘Golden girl’.
Shaking off the label ‘Niall’s ex’, Melissa began rebranding herself as a wellness and fitness influencer, documenting her healthy lifestyle on social media
Melissa also began partnering with major brands, including Nude By Nature and Supré, as well as attending glamorous red carpet events
In 2018, she spoke to Husskie about the healthy diet behind her svelte figure, revealing she started her day with ‘a mug of hot water, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, lemon and a drop of honey’
By late 2023, she had deleted her Instagram page and stopped posting on Facebook
