Melissa Leong has revealed the ‘red flag’ that should have indicated her marriage was doomed.
The 43-year-old told the Inherited podcast that she purchased her own engagement ring before eloping with ex-husband Joe Jones.
‘I bought it myself, which should have been the first red flag,’ the former MasterChef Australia judge said.
The pair split after four years of marriage, and looking back, Melissa says that she rushed into the marriage as she was approaching 35 and saw it as a deadline for settling down.
‘I rushed… I’m 34, I’ve just met this amazing human being, who’s just barrelled on into my life,’ she said of that time period.
‘I wasn’t expecting it, so it was all very, “Let’s get married,” within a three-month period of being together,’ she added.
Melissa Leong has revealed the ‘red flag’ that should have indicated her marriage was doomed. The 43-year-old told the Inherited podcast that she purchased her own engagement ring before eloping with ex-husband Joe Jones. Both pictured
Leong says she was ‘in no way ready’ to settle down with Joe, and does not blame him for the split, but instead says she put ‘unnecessary pressure’ on herself to hit certain milestones in life.
The reality TV host also revealed she is currently single, despite being linked to Rob Mason since 2021.
‘I’m great as I am,’ she said, adding that she is open to finding love again if she met someone who ‘deserved’ to be in her life.
It comes after Melissa revealed that she and Joe are still great friends after their ‘messy’ split.
She parted ways with Joe five years ago, but told Stellar Magazine they remain amicable.
‘I’m very lucky that we have a mutual respect, an enduring friendship and the greatest hope for each other’s happiness,’ she said.
‘That wasn’t a line or a PR stunt to placate people. It’s true. Just as much as it’s important to destigmatise mental health, it’s important to destigmatise divorce being a ‘failure’. It’s not.’
Melissa says the pair broke up to give one another a chance at finding new love.
The pair split after four years of marriage, and looking back, Melissa says that she rushed into the marriage as she was approaching 35 and saw it as a deadline for settling down
The reality TV host also revealed she is currently single, despite being linked to Rob Mason (left) since 2021. ‘I’m great as I am,’ she said, adding that she is open to finding love again if she met someone who ‘deserved’ to be in her life
‘As with all interpersonal relationships – friendships, working experiences, romances – sometimes things need to get messy until they can clarify themselves,’ she said.
‘And that’s okay. I don’t think it’s good to be hard on yourself. Sometimes things end, and it’s better for both parties to acknowledge it and give each other a chance at future happiness by disengaging and moving on’.
Melissa debuted her relationship with Rob Mason in October 2021, just 10 months after her split with husband Joe.
The cook earlier revealed she feels ‘content’ after finding love with Rob, following her split from Joe in December 2020.
However, she told the Inherited podcast this week that she is enjoying her life as a single woman.
