‘MY GREATEST ROLE YET’
THE ACTRESS IS LOVING BEING A NEW GRANDMA
There’s a new man in Melissa Bell’s life – and she is happily wrapped around his (very tiny) little finger! The former Neighbours actress, 51, has just returned home from a flying visit to Wellington, New Zealand, where she finally got to meet her first grandchild, William, for the very first time.
“Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation, this is mine … little William Leonardo Dickson,” Melissa proudly wrote on social media.
William is the son of Melissa’s own grown-up baby boy, Jonathan Dickson, and his partner Cay.
While Melissa’s visit to meet adorable William was fleeting, it’s one she says she will “treasure forever”. Sharing photos of herself with William to social media, a besotted Melissa wrote, “Grandma M loves you to the moon and back”.
Becoming a grandparent signals a happy new chapter for Melissa, who has been open about her personal struggles behind the scenes of her huge television career.
After suffering a tumultuous marital breakdown in the late ’90s, Melissa married the love of her life, Gary Dickson, in 2000. She claimed Gary “saved” her from her first marriage. The pair welcomed three children, new dad Jonathan, daughter Isabella and a second son, who is also named William. Melissa has another older son, Dylan. In November 2015, Gary suffered a heart attack, which left him in a coma before he passed in February 2016.
“He died in my arms, I was holding him. I said, ‘I’m with you, you’re not alone, I love you,’” Melissa recalled of the life-altering moment.
Two years later, Melissa met Grant Thompson, a financial strategist, at a friend’s barbecue in 2018. They tied the knot in 2022. Of their romance, Melissa has said, “It started out as a friendship and built over time. We realised we had a lot in common when we started talking.”
While Jonathan’s dad is not here to experience the joy of meeting his grandson, Melissa summed up the pride he would no doubt be feeling. “There are no words to describe the happiness in holding your baby’s baby,” she said.