AM's Melissa Chan-Green 'WHY I HAVE TO PUT MY FAMILY FIRST'

Her new job comes amid some personal drama, but the former newsreader is finally ready to let her sunny personality shine

- Amy Prebble

It’s about this time of year that most of us quietly abandon any “new year, new me” aspirations. But Three’s Melissa Chan-Green really does have a completely different life in 2022.

Not only is she the new host of the network’s glossy new-look morning show AM, but the former Newshub presenter has also just become the proud owner of a beautiful home in West Auckland.

“It’s been quite an emotional rollercoaster,” laughs Melissa. “We actually settled on the same day that I read the 6pm news for the last time. Mike McRoberts gave a beautiful and unexpected speech. It was so touching.

“Afterwards, I met my husband Caspar with the keys at our new house, which was incredibly exciting, then I went to our Christmas party, so it was a real ride that night!”

Chatting to Woman’s Day in the room furthest away from her two-year-old son Busby’s bedroom so she doesn’t wake him from his nap, Melissa says the AM gig was simply too good to pass up.

“It was hard because I was in a job that I loved, but Ryan Bridge is a good friend and an amazing broadcaster. Having him as a co-host really sold it.”

Talented, bubbly and beautiful, Melissa is the perfect candidate for the job – before she started as the weekend newsreader in 2016, she did a five-year stint as Three’s European correspondent, where she covered everything from riots to royals.

The 38-year-old has been on our screens since 2004, however, this is the first time she’s really felt comfortable enough in her own skin to take on a role that showcases her personality as well as her journalistic credentials.