Latest news with #MelanieSykes
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
From car park sex scandals to emu farming – where the most iconic 90s and 00s lads mags pin-ups are now
SHE was one of the most successful pin ups of the 90s. But this week The Sun revealed why Melanie Sykes has ditched fame to focus on the quiet life in Yorkshire, where she spends her days painting nude pictures of herself. 21 21 Mel, 54, was one of the many beautiful women who shaped 90s culture and the years beyond. Here, we look at what some of the sexiest stars of yesteryear are up to now, from successful TV careers to tragic health battles… Dani Behr Nothing summed up the 90s quite like pop culture show The Word. And front and centre was Dani Behr, the gorgeous blonde presenter with the husky voice who joined the programme in 1992 at just 17 years old. Following her tenure on the show, Dani embarked on a brief but high profile relationship with Manchester United star Ryan Giggs and was later axed from CBBC's The Saturday Show, after making risque comments to a lads mag about having 'seedy' sex in an NCP car park. Dani, 55, ditched the UK in the early noughties to live in the States to work as a luxury real estate agent in Los Angeles, selling million dollar houses. Now a mum of two, she's kept herself ingrained in showbusiness, and has just announced that a new show which she created, called 'Members Only: Palm Beach,' has been picked up by Netflix. It will follow 'a group of glamorous women navigating America's most exclusive social circle.' Melinda Messenger With her tumbling blonde locks, cheeky grin and flawless figure, Melinda was the ultimate pin up and one of the 90s most iconic glamour girls. The Sun labelled her 'The Girl of the Thrillenium' and she was dubbed the new Eva Herzigova as she shot to fame thanks to posing in her undies for a double glazing advert. Nowadays, things are drastically different for 54 year old Mel, who has three children and lives a peaceful life in the Berkshire countryside. She likes to plant flowers, walk her dog and is a fully trained psychotherapist. Melinda, who regularly appears as a guest at wellness festivals across the country, was back in the news recently to argue her 21 year old daughter, Evie, was not a 'nepo baby'. 21 21 21 Reports claimed Evie was going into modelling, having been given a leg up by her famous mum. But Mel chimed into the debate insisting 'She isn't a model, though, to be fair she could be if she wanted to, but I am her mum, so I might be a tad biased.' Keeley Hazell As glamour girls go, few were as popular as Keeley at her peak. 21 21 Not only did she feature in practically every lads mag going, but her Official Keeley Calendar 2007 sold 30,000 copies in its first couple of days, making it one of the biggest sellers of that year. And this was a time when celeb calendars were big business. Famed for her doe eyed girl next door looks, Keeley turned to acting after modelling, appearing in Hollywood films Horrible Bosses 2 with Jennifer Aniston and Like Crazy, alongside Jennifer Lawrence. But it's her turn as evil chairman Rupert Mannion's wife, Bex, in Ted Lasso that has really put her on the map. She's also one of the show's writers. With her tongue firmly in cheek, Keeley, 38, will release her first book next month, a collection of essays entitled 'Everyone's Seen My Tits.' Jodie Marsh She's a long way from her sexy pin up past, but Jodie Marsh was once one of the hottest women in showbiz. 21 21 Famed for her daring, outrageous outfits and constant comparisons to fellow model Katie Price, Jodie was a mainstay at celeb events and on reality shows in the early 00s. However, a lot has changed and Jodie, 46, now runs an animal sanctuary called Fripps Farm, where she keeps everything from emus to lemurs. She recently won a battle against her local council in Essex to keep the animals, but last month the former glamour girl begged fans to donate money to her project, after learning the farm's social media pages had been taken down. Taking to X (formerly Twitter) Jodie could be seen cuddling an emu and pleading, 'We are working on getting them back up. Please help by donating at Sarah Cawood Channel 4's The Girlie Show, famous for launching the career of the original ladette, Sara Cox, also catapulted Sara Cawood to fame, and she too became a fixture on the walls of teen boys across the country. 21 21 However, the Top of the Pops presenter, while incredibly sexy, never took her kit off in the press. Following a battle with breast cancer in 2022, Sarah told The Sun of her regrets, saying 'they were honestly the best boobs — better than Denise Van Outen's, I'd say. So I should have got them out.' These days Sarah, 52, has stepped away from the limelight to focus on her health and her two children. In April she shared a post which said, ''I need to stop drinking. Like stop completely.' She also reflected on her former TV career saying, 'sometimes I wonder what went wrong, but I'm here now so I'm going to make the most of it, however, that looks.' Gail Porter Was there a more iconic image from lad culture in the 90s than the naked body of Gail Porter, projected onto the Houses of Parliament? Arguably not. 21 21 21 However, that 1999 stunt for men's magazine FHM, proved to be the beginning of the end for Gail's successful glamour and TV career. The 54 year old, who was famed for presenting shows like Live and Kicking and Top of The Pops, said she wasn't aware of what had happened and later claimed she was never paid for the shoot, despite the publicity helping FHM sell more than one million copies within just two months. Since then Gail has famously lost her hair due to alopecia, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and fought a battle against drink and drugs and bankruptcy. She was also sectioned under the mental health act in 2011, after texting her then boyfriend to say she was suicidal. Last month Gail, who shares a daughter, Honey, with Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave, stepped out at the British LGBT Awards ceremony wearing a long blonde wig, leaving fans praising her 'transformation'. Nell McAndrew Gorgeous Nell was always destined for big things, having started her career as a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. 21 21 She was the Lara Croft model for Tomb Raider when the computer game was released in 1998 and since then was a mainstay in men's mags such as Maxim, Loaded and even Playboy. She was famously named Rear of the Year in 2005 and had a successful run presenting shows such as The Big Breakfast and It's A Knockout. She famously 'wed' gay pal Dale Winton in a televised ceremony, which was later revealed to be part of a BBC documentary. Now Nell, 51, spends her time as a fitness guru, who has run several marathons and written a book called Nell McAndrew's Guide to Running. Which country have the world's biggest boobs Which country has the biggest boobs in the world? American women have the biggest natural boobs in the world, claims World Population Review. But it's not bad news for us Brits – as the website's statistics ranked the UK in second position, also averaging at a C cup across the nation. Other countries who made it into the top five include Venezuela, Colombia and Sweden, who are said to have between a B and C cup. Back in 2016, US women once again topped a survey conducted by the The Journal of Female Health Sciences, where it was shown that, amazingly, a quarter of Caucasian American ladies had breasts weighing 5.7kg. Which country has the smallest boobs in the world? Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum is Switzerland, who come in at 11th place according to World Population Review, with most women wearing a B cup. They were narrowly beaten by the Netherlands (6th place), Canada (7th place), Georgia (8th place), Australia (9th place) and Bosnia (10th place.) What's the average breast size in the world? According to figures published in 2019 by Healthline, the average breast size varies dramatically from country to country. For instance, American women were likely to wear a 34DD, while their UK counterparts would be 36DD. Healthline also pointed out that it was incredibly hard to pinpoint a definitive average, as we don't have a "universal understanding of the correct bra size" and many are found to be wearing the incorrect size. Again, in 2016 following their thorough research, The Journal of Female Health Sciences said it was pivotal that women understood that breast sized varied so much throughout the world.
The Irish Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
So why DID pin-up Mel Sykes vanish from the public eye? Pals reveal all about her reclusive life amid ‘tough' few years
She was the ultimate 90s pin-up, the glamour girl with looks, brains and personality who was once voted the eighth sexiest woman in the world. But fast forward three decades and Melanie Sykes - once a successful model and presenter with a Advertisement 18 Mel Sykes was the ultimate lads mag pin-up in the 90s Credit: Rex 18 Mel shines on the red carpet at the 2013 at the National Television Awards Credit: Getty 18 These days, however, Mel has quit the spotlight and lives in Yorkshire where she has discovered a love of making art Credit: Instagram 18 Mel has also recently battled alopecia and has had an autism diagnosis Credit: Instagram Now, the Advertisement And pals insist she 'feels like a completely different person' to the bombshell brunette who kickstarted her career in an ad for Boddington's beer. A source told The Sun: 'She has had a really tough few years dealing with Quit London for Yorkshire Mel has also openly documented her struggles with autism since being diagnosed in 2021, and publicly stated she believes she has Tourette's Syndrome too. The source added: 'She feels like a totally changed woman from the one that was on our screens for all those years, and she is focusing on healing from her trauma, as well as focusing on her health. Her life isn't anywhere near as glamorous as it once was, but she is much happier. She has found a love of painting, which has been really therapeutic for her. Advertisement She's even painted some nude self-portraits of herself which she has shared on her social media. She finds it very liberating - she wanted to practice drawing the female form, so she figured why not make herself the model?' Mel's journey from lairy ladette to practical obscurity stems from a tumultuous time in the TV industry, most notably 'I was done' The brave mother of two sensationally walked away from her successful career after Gregg Wallace, who last week was Gregg Wallace is why I ended my TV career, Melanie Sykes says - as she slams 'jaw-dropping' behaviour on MasterChef set Mel claims that Gregg asked her if models eat, something she found 'ignorant,' before telling her that being on Masterchef would help her career. Advertisement 'I didn't know what to say,' she wrote later. 'So I smiled and said: 'Yes,' but I was really thinking: 'Yes, you have finally helped me decide to end my television career once and for all. I was done.' She called Earlier this month, 45 out of 83 allegations made against him during his tenure on the show were substantiated. But despite the victory for Gregg's victims, and his insistence that he is 'deeply sorry' for his actions, it's not likely to instigate a return to the limelight for Mel. These days, Advertisement 'Industry creates monsters' She boasts almost 300k followers on Instagram and 6.45k subscribers to her YouTube channel, also writes a regular Substack blog, following the closure of her magazine, The Frank, last year. 18 Mel shares snaps of her canvases on her social media Credit: Instagram 18 The star is open about dealing with PTSD from her time in the TV industry Credit: YouTube 18 She says an appearance on Celebrity Masterchef in 2021 led to her quitting fame Credit: BBC 18 She described the now axed presenter's behaviour towards her as 'unprofessional' and 'jaw-dropping' Credit: BBC Advertisement Using her various outlets, she regularly updates fans on her mental health, often sharing her artwork with hashtags such as 'recovery', 'blessed', and 'healing' or sitting down to address viewers with videos that cover everything from menopause and her She spoke recently about suffering from an irregular heartbeat, which she claimed doctors ignored and also talked at length about a After learning Gino was accused of misconduct, Mel 'didn't sleep a wink', she has said. 'This industry creates monsters,' she said on her YouTube channel, Melanie Sykes Is. 18 She previously worked with shamed chef Gino D'Acampo Advertisement 18 Mel lost some hair recently, which she has documented on her YouTube channel Credit: YouTube 18 Melanie Sykes was once a fixture of the tabloids and on TV screens Credit: Getty - Contributor 'I feel like I was in a war zone in that industry – 24 years of battling through an industry that didn't feel right to me anyway.' Since walking away from her lucrative telly jobs, Mel doesn't appear to be making the same money she did in her heyday, when she fronted shows such as But our insider insists she is getting by. Advertisement The source said: 'Obviously she doesn't have the income she once had from all her TV and modelling jobs, which has been challenging and stressful at times, but she has savings and she makes money from writing her Substack newsletter, still has some royalties from her biography and she gets paid to speak at various festivals and events. 'She's also been getting funding for some film projects, which she is working on behind the camera and hopes one day to be able to make a living from her paintings.' 18 She shot to fame in the legendary Boddington's beer ads Credit: Boddingtons Mel, who came third in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in 2014, was once a well-known face on the showbiz circuit. Her modelling career, followed by a successful stint as a reporter on MTV and The Big Breakfast, catapulted her to fame and lads' mags couldn't get enough of her. Advertisement As a result Mel dated a string of famous faces, including She went on to marry twice, once in 2001 to actor Daniel Caltagrione, father of her two sons, Roman, 23, and Valentino, 21 and later, in 2013, to roofer Jack Cockings, a union which lasted barely three years. She also famously enjoyed a romance with a 24 year old-gondolier, Now, however, those days of public romances are behind her. 'You won't catch Mel getting snapped with a lover again,' says a friend. 'She feels very scarred by how some of her romances played out in the media, and she feels like the way her love life was scrutinised impacted her relationships. These days, she is focused on putting herself first, not a man.' Advertisement 18 Mel was linked to actor Steve Coogan Credit: Getty - Contributor 18 She also dated Bros hunk Matt Goss Credit: Getty 18 Mel's first marriage was to actor Daniel Caltagrione Credit: Getty Images - Getty As for her old TV pals, Mel still keeps in touch with a few people from the industry, including Alan Carr, but, according to our source, a lot of her 'showbiz friendships have fallen by the wayside'. 'Mel prefers to keep a small circle of close friends,' our insider said. 'Since being diagnosed as neurodivergent, she has learnt a lot about herself and realised she doesn't have the energy to cope with lots of casual, flighty friendships, she finds it really draining.' Advertisement Looking to the future, feisty Mel has vowed to continue to use her voice to speak out about the wrongdoings in the TV industry with friends insisting she 'isn't afraid to call out the wrongdoings and BS she has experienced.' The source continued, 'It's really inspiring to see how far she has come. A lot of people who have been through what Mel has been through would have totally crumbled, but she is a survivor. "She's living proof that you can fall down in life and not only survive - but start all over again.' 18 Alan Carr is one of the few showbiz pals Mel remains close to 18 Mel during her stint on I'm A Celebrity in 2014 Credit: Rex Features Advertisement 18 Mel no longer shares racy swimwear snaps on her social channels, instead posting about her life and travels, here to India
The Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
So why DID pin-up Mel Sykes vanish from the public eye? Pals reveal all about her reclusive life amid ‘tough' few years
She was the ultimate 90s pin-up, the glamour girl with looks, brains and personality who was once voted the eighth sexiest woman in the world. But fast forward three decades and Melanie Sykes - once a successful model and presenter with a string of high-profile boyfriends and legions of male fans - has practically vanished from the public eye. 18 18 18 Now, the former Big Breakfast star, 54, spends her days painting - even dabbling in nude self-portraits - writing about her various health struggles and shunning showbiz parties after quitting the bright lights of the big smoke for a quiet life in the Yorkshire countryside. And pals insist she 'feels like a completely different person' to the bombshell brunette who kickstarted her career in an ad for Boddington's beer. A source told The Sun: 'She has had a really tough few years dealing with various health issues, and has openly admitted she has PTSD from working in the TV industry." Quit London for Yorkshire Mel has also openly documented her struggles with autism since being diagnosed in 2021, and publicly stated she believes she has Tourette's Syndrome too. The source added: 'She feels like a totally changed woman from the one that was on our screens for all those years, and she is focusing on healing from her trauma, as well as focusing on her health. Her life isn't anywhere near as glamorous as it once was, but she is much happier. She has found a love of painting, which has been really therapeutic for her. She's even painted some nude self-portraits of herself which she has shared on her social media. She finds it very liberating - she wanted to practice drawing the female form, so she figured why not make herself the model?' Mel's journey from lairy ladette to practical obscurity stems from a tumultuous time in the TV industry, most notably her experience on Celebrity Masterchef in 2021, which became the catalyst for her to quit the business for good. 'I was done' The brave mother of two sensationally walked away from her successful career after Gregg Wallace, who last week was sacked from the show following an enquiry into alleged misconduct, made inappropriate comments to her on set. Gregg Wallace is why I ended my TV career, Melanie Sykes says - as she slams 'jaw-dropping' behaviour on MasterChef set Mel claims that Gregg asked her if models eat, something she found 'ignorant,' before telling her that being on Masterchef would help her career. 'I didn't know what to say,' she wrote later. 'So I smiled and said: 'Yes,' but I was really thinking: 'Yes, you have finally helped me decide to end my television career once and for all. I was done.' She called Gregg's behaviour towards her 'unprofessional' and 'jaw-dropping', said she didn't like him being around her and even made an informal complaint against the former greengrocer. Earlier this month, 45 out of 83 allegations made against him during his tenure on the show were substantiated. But despite the victory for Gregg's victims, and his insistence that he is 'deeply sorry' for his actions, it's not likely to instigate a return to the limelight for Mel. These days, Mel prefers to keep in touch with her fans via online mediums where she is in control. 'Industry creates monsters' She boasts almost 300k followers on Instagram and 6.45k subscribers to her YouTube channel, also writes a regular Substack blog, following the closure of her magazine, The Frank, last year. 18 18 18 Using her various outlets, she regularly updates fans on her mental health, often sharing her artwork with hashtags such as 'recovery', 'blessed', and 'healing' or sitting down to address viewers with videos that cover everything from menopause and her autism diagnosis to her TV experiences and health woes. She spoke recently about suffering from an irregular heartbeat, which she claimed doctors ignored and also talked at length about a recent battle with alopecia, both of which she said were triggered by the allegations made against former Let's Do Lunch co-host Gino D'ACampo, earlier this year. After learning Gino was accused of misconduct, Mel 'didn't sleep a wink', she has said. 'This industry creates monsters,' she said on her YouTube channel, Melanie Sykes Is. 18 'I feel like I was in a war zone in that industry – 24 years of battling through an industry that didn't feel right to me anyway.' Since walking away from her lucrative telly jobs, Mel doesn't appear to be making the same money she did in her heyday, when she fronted shows such as Today with Des and Mel, Shop Well For Less and was the voice of the Blind Date reboot. But our insider insists she is getting by. The source said: 'Obviously she doesn't have the income she once had from all her TV and modelling jobs, which has been challenging and stressful at times, but she has savings and she makes money from writing her Substack newsletter, still has some royalties from her biography and she gets paid to speak at various festivals and events. 'She's also been getting funding for some film projects, which she is working on behind the camera and hopes one day to be able to make a living from her paintings.' 18 Mel, who came third in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! in 2014, was once a well-known face on the showbiz circuit. Her modelling career, followed by a successful stint as a reporter on MTV and The Big Breakfast, catapulted her to fame and lads' mags couldn't get enough of her. As a result Mel dated a string of famous faces, including Steve Coogan, Max Beesley and even Olly Murs. She was also in a long-term romance with Bros singer Matt Goss, which ended in 1997, when she discovered he was cheating on her. She went on to marry twice, once in 2001 to actor Daniel Caltagrione, father of her two sons, Roman, 23, and Valentino, 21 and later, in 2013, to roofer Jack Cockings, a union which lasted barely three years. She also famously enjoyed a romance with a 24 year old-gondolier, Riccardo Simionato, who she met on a canal in Venice in 2020. Now, however, those days of public romances are behind her. 'You won't catch Mel getting snapped with a lover again,' says a friend. 'She feels very scarred by how some of her romances played out in the media, and she feels like the way her love life was scrutinised impacted her relationships. These days, she is focused on putting herself first, not a man.' 18 18 18 As for her old TV pals, Mel still keeps in touch with a few people from the industry, including Alan Carr, but, according to our source, a lot of her 'showbiz friendships have fallen by the wayside'. 'Mel prefers to keep a small circle of close friends,' our insider said. 'Since being diagnosed as neurodivergent, she has learnt a lot about herself and realised she doesn't have the energy to cope with lots of casual, flighty friendships, she finds it really draining.' Looking to the future, feisty Mel has vowed to continue to use her voice to speak out about the wrongdoings in the TV industry with friends insisting she 'isn't afraid to call out the wrongdoings and BS she has experienced.' The source continued, 'It's really inspiring to see how far she has come. A lot of people who have been through what Mel has been through would have totally crumbled, but she is a survivor. "She's living proof that you can fall down in life and not only survive - but start all over again.' 18 18
Scottish Sun
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Iconic 90s beer RETURNS to taps after over a decade – and punters will be buzzing
The beer was renowned for its adverts which led to one TV star finding fame - do you remember them? CHEERS TO THAT! Iconic 90s beer RETURNS to taps after over a decade – and punters will be buzzing Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN iconic 90s beer is returning to pub taps after over a decade to the delight of punters. The legendary "Cream of Manchester", Boddingtons Cask Ale, became a symbol of Northern Pride, with the brewery famed for its memorable adverts starring Melanie Sykes. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Boddingtons Cask Ale is returning to pubs soon (Credit: JW Lees) 2 Melanie Sykes found fame starring in the iconic Boddingtons ad in the 90s Credit: Boddingtons First brewed in 1778, the famous ale disappeared from handpumps in 2012 but is now set to return to pubs across the North West. Manchester's oldest brewer JW Lees is to brew the cask ale close to its original home under licence from Budweiser Brewing Group. Punters who have waited 13 years for a sip of the creamy ale will be able to order a pint of it in selected pubs across the North West from September, before it becomes more widely available. The brewery said it would be brewed using traditional methods, but would be given a fresh twist for modern punters. The relaunched cask ale will have an ABV of 4% - slightly weaker than its original 4.1% recipe. JW Lees director William Lees-Jones said: 'When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was 'The Cream of Manchester' and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution…' 'We are planning to put Boddingtons back where it rightly deserves to be, as one of the leading premium UK cask beers, particularly in our heartland of the North West. 'We also look forward to working with Budweiser Brewing Group with their portfolio of market-leading lagers and premium packaged beers in our pubs.' Boddingtons is best known for its creamy texture and the catchphrase "Do you want a flake in that?" which it adopted in its iconic 90s advertising campaign. TV presenter and Northerner Melanie Sykes first found fame starring in the ads, which originally aired in 1996, before she made the leap into presenting thanks to The Big Breakfast. Mel Sykes stars in classic Boddington's Bitter advert with athlete Ken George The star reunited with her "old muckers" in 2017 to shoot a new Boddingtons ad. While production of its cask beers stopped in 2012, cans of Boddingtons draught bitter can still be found in high street stores. As part of the beer's relaunch, JW Lees has created a new ad campaign referencing another of Boddingtons' famous slogans. A poster by the brewery readers: "By 'eck, the Cream of Manchester is back on cask" - a reference to the original "By 'eck it's gorgeous" line synonymous with Boddingtons' 90s ads. AB InBev (Budweiser Brewing Group) president Brian Perkins said "We are excited to relaunch Boddingtons Cask Ale in partnership with JW Lees, combining one of the UK's most iconic beer brands with one of its most respected brewers. "We see real growth potential for Boddingtons in the UK On Trade, and this is a great example of how strategic partnerships can unlock value for both businesses and beer lovers alike.' Other iconic beers returning to pubs The Cream of Manchester isn't the only iconic beer returning to pub taps. Double Diamond beer was among the nation's best-selling drinks from the 1950s to through to the early 1990s, before it was discontinued in 2003. It made its return to pubs last year, and it was recently revealed that it has returned to the high street, with cans of the pale ale on sale in Tesco. In other booze news, Captain Morgan announced this month it's launching a "tropical beer" for the first time. The iconic rum maker's "Muck Pit Brew" is described as a "tropical beer-inspired drink with a gently fizzy twist, combines spiced rum, hops, and vibrant Caribbean vibes." The flavours are inspired by hops, which are a common ingredient found in beer, and fermented fruits such as mango. The booze contains 4% alcohol by volume (ABV) and is available in 440ml cans. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
The Sun
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Iconic 90s beer RETURNS to taps after over a decade – and punters will be buzzing
AN iconic 90s beer is returning to pub taps after over a decade to the delight of punters. The legendary "Cream of Manchester", Boddingtons Cask Ale, became a symbol of Northern Pride, with the brewery famed for its memorable adverts starring Melanie Sykes. 2 First brewed in 1778, the famous ale disappeared from handpumps in 2012 but is now set to return to pubs across the North West. Manchester's oldest brewer JW Lees is to brew the cask ale close to its original home under licence from Budweiser Brewing Group. Punters who have waited 13 years for a sip of the creamy ale will be able to order a pint of it in selected pubs across the North West from September, before it becomes more widely available. The brewery said it would be brewed using traditional methods, but would be given a fresh twist for modern punters. The relaunched cask ale will have an ABV of 4% - slightly weaker than its original 4.1% recipe. JW Lees director William Lees-Jones said: 'When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was 'The Cream of Manchester' and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution …' 'We are planning to put Boddingtons back where it rightly deserves to be, as one of the leading premium UK cask beers, particularly in our heartland of the North West. 'We also look forward to working with Budweiser Brewing Group with their portfolio of market-leading lagers and premium packaged beers in our pubs.' Boddingtons is best known for its creamy texture and the catchphrase "Do you want a flake in that?" which it adopted in its iconic 90s advertising campaign. TV presenter and Northerner Melanie Sykes first found fame starring in the ads, which originally aired in 1996, before she made the leap into presenting thanks to The Big Breakfast. Mel Sykes stars in classic Boddington's Bitter advert with athlete Ken George The star reunited with her "old muckers" in 2017 to shoot a new Boddingtons ad. While production of its cask beers stopped in 2012, cans of Boddingtons draught bitter can still be found in high street stores. As part of the beer's relaunch, JW Lees has created a new ad campaign referencing another of Boddingtons' famous slogans. A poster by the brewery readers: "By 'eck, the Cream of Manchester is back on cask" - a reference to the original "By 'eck it's gorgeous" line synonymous with Boddingtons' 90s ads. AB InBev (Budweiser Brewing Group) president Brian Perkins said "We are excited to relaunch Boddingtons Cask Ale in partnership with JW Lees, combining one of the UK's most iconic beer brands with one of its most respected brewers. "We see real growth potential for Boddingtons in the UK On Trade, and this is a great example of how strategic partnerships can unlock value for both businesses and beer lovers alike.' Other iconic beers returning to pubs The Cream of Manchester isn't the only iconic beer returning to pub taps. Double Diamond beer was among the nation's best-selling drinks from the 1950s to through to the early 1990s, before it was discontinued in 2003. It made its return to pubs last year, and it was recently revealed that it has returned to the high street, with cans of the pale ale on sale in Tesco. In other booze news, Captain Morgan announced this month it's launching a "tropical beer" for the first time. The iconic rum maker's "Muck Pit Brew" is described as a "tropical beer-inspired drink with a gently fizzy twist, combines spiced rum, hops, and vibrant Caribbean vibes." The flavours are inspired by hops, which are a common ingredient found in beer, and fermented fruits such as mango. The booze contains 4% alcohol by volume (ABV) and is available in 440ml cans.
