'I was dirty and had rotten feet!' Melinda Messenger grateful for relationship's smelly start

Melinda Messenger believes her relationship is "promising" because she was "dirty and smelly" and had "rotten feet" when she met her fiance.

The 52-year-old former model has recently opened up about meeting Dr Raj Joshi, 47, while she was filming 'Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins' and he was the show medic, and she now believes it is the ideal grounding for a long relationship because their friendship started based on "more important things than how [she] looked or smelt."

Speaking on 'Lorraine', she said: "It was very unromantic circumstances. We were, essentially, both at work.

"Raj is the doctor on the show. When I came out, we get checked out by the psychologist and the doctor to make sure we were OK.

"I was fine, I just had bruises and rotten fee.

"I then went into meet Raj and we ended up chatting about everything.

"I was dirty, smelly, sweaty, stinky, I had rotten feet, was in cycling shorts.

"I think that's probably quite promising because a friendship started based on more important things than how I look or smell."

Melinda and Raj got engaged in August, and they are planning to marry in 2024.

She wrote on Instagram: "We’ve got some very happy news to share. @raj.joshi.expedition and I got engaged in beautiful New Zealand at Matariki, the Maori New year, and we are getting married next year."

Melinda was previously married to therapist Wayne Roberts - the father of her three children Morgan, 22, Flynn, 20, and Evie, 18 - from 1998⁠ until ⁠2012.

'Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins' continues on Channel 4 on Sunday (01.10.23).