'Society has programmed us to be negative'

TV presenter Melissa Porter opens up about raising her son alone and the lessons she has learnt along the way

- AMY JONES

For almost a decade, Country file's Melissa Porter found herself juggling a busy career and single-handedly raising her son.

The 51-year-old TV presenter's story isn't so unusual on the face of it - she moved to America 15 years ago, fell in love and had a baby. What came afterwards was trickier, though - and what she describes as a "terrifying" and "lonely" experience.

The couple had an acrimonious split and she found herself back in the UK, bringing up her son alone.

In an exclusive chat with OK!, Melissa admits she had to learn to protect her mental health and how to recover from the breakdown of the relationship. She also tells us she had to take a step back to recognise she might be part of the problem, but that dreams can still come true regardless of what you have to fight through. Her happily ever after came when her current partner adopted her son Pierce, who is now 13 years old.

But Melissa's journey to happiness wasn't easy. Navigating a difficult break-up and tackling parenting alone was a tough wake-up call, yet one that Melissa recognises is probably common for lots of women.

"After my son turned two, he and I were alone. I was the sole carer and looked after Pierce," Melissa claims.

Describing life as a single mother, Melissa, who has also presented Escape To The Country and Britain's Dream Homes, adds, "It's really hard because it's lonely and scary financially. I didn't have a best mate to bounce off, to share my successes and struggles with. I was trying to figure it out myself, and I didn't have the best people around me all the time; it was really scary."

The biggest challenge Melissa says she faced when it came to raising her son was trying to co-parent with her ex. "If you've got someone that doesn't want to collaborate or share and they just want to have it their way, that is really tricky," she says.