Melissa's birthday blessing 'I FEEL LIKE I WON LOTTO TWICE'

The AM presenter became a mum-of-two and turned 40 in the same milestone month

- Amy Prebble

Beloved broadcaster Melissa ChanGreen's 40th birthday did not involve a big party, bucketloads of bubbly or a trip abroad. Instead, she spent a low-key day with her husband Caspar, son Busby and her two-week-old bundle of joy Mabel. "It was better than any 40th birthday celebration I could have ever hoped for," the AM presenter grins.

Although she's always knocked her career goals out of the park, there was a point where Melissa wasn't sure she would get the chance to be a mum, so celebrating her big day with her two babies by her side was a dream come true.

"When I was 30, I was over in London, working as Newshub's Europe correspondent," recalls Melissa. "Life was busy and the idea of a family just seemed so far away, so distant. I hadn't met Caspar by then, so in that situation, I just couldn't see a family ever happening for myself."

Things changed when she met trivia guru Caspar, 43, near the end of her time in the UK. The couple fell in love, Melissa returned to Aotearoa and the pair maintained a two-year long-distance relationship while Caspar established his pub quiz business. In 2018, once he was able to manage it remotely, he moved to Auckland to be with Melissa and they tied the knot on Waiheke Island in February 2019, welcoming Busby a year later.

"I just felt so lucky to have one child, but I knew I was an older mum, so I didn't think that being able to have a second would be a possibility," muses Melissa. "So then having Mabel as well, I feel like I won Lotto twice!"

The besotted mum describes five-month-old Mabel as a dream baby. "She's a star when it comes to sleeping. I'm only getting up twice a night, which is amazing compared to Busby.

"She's such a sweetheart. She's got a really chill temperament - she seems to take everything in her stride, which is interesting because I don't know if I would describe myself as especially chill!"