<p>When Her Husband And Soulmate Gary Died Three Years Ago, The Actress Wondered If She&rsquo;d Ever Move On</p>

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It took former Neighbours star Melissa Bell two years to even consider romance after the shock loss of the man she’d decided to grow old and grey with.

Gary Dickinson swept Melissa offher feet 20 years ago and saved her from her first failed marriage. But in November 2015, Gary, then 57, suffered a heart attack, which left him in a coma. He died three months later.

“I took a lot of time out after losing Gary,” Melissa, 46, reveals.

“Losing the love of my life and the father of my children... it took that time to work out who I was as a person, and what I wanted out of life. And throughout it all I kept hearing Gary say, ‘There’s never a right time, just do it!’ which was his philosophy of life.”

A Growing Friendship

Enter charming Gold Coast financial strategist and father-of-two Grant Thompson, who Melissa met at a friend’s barbecue about 18 months ago.

“It started out as a friendship and built over time,” smiles Melissa, who has just moved in with Grant.

“Life moves on and I still want to commit to someone out there, even though I know it’s a different connection. We clicked pretty much straight away because we realised we had a lot in common when we started talking.”

Melissa has three children with Gary – Jonathan, 19, Isabella, 15, and William, 11 – and eldest son Dylan, 22, from a previous relationship, while Grant, who is divorced, has two daughters, Paris, 18, and Zara, 16.