Paul Hollywood is MARRIED! GBBO judge, 57, ties the knot with pub landlady Melissa Spalding, 39, in ‘beautiful’ ceremony at luxury Cyprus hotel with Prue Leith among guests
Paul Hollywood married fiancée Melissa Spalding in a Byzantine style chapel set in the grounds of Cyprus’ most exclusive hotel in front of 75 friends and family, MailOnline can reveal.
The Great British Bake Off star, 57, tied the knot with the pub landlady, 39, in the stunning Ayia Athanasia chapel which forms part of the luxury Anassa Hotel, located on the north-west Akamas peninsula, one of the most unspoilt areas of the holiday island.
The lavish celebrations kicked off on Wednesday in the late afternoon with a ceremony, where guests were seated outside the small chapel.
It was followed by a reception and then a late-night party in the hotel’s entertainment area, which finished in the early hours.
Guests included close family members and celebrity pals such as Paul’s fellow show judge Prue Leith, who had been enjoying the Anassa Hotel’s lavish facilities in the days leading up to the wedding.
Married! Paul Hollywood married fiancée Melissa Spalding in a Byzantine style chapel set in the grounds of Cyprus’ most exclusive hotel in front of 75 friends and family, (pictured 2021)
Stunning: The Great British Bake Off star, 57 tied the knot with the pub landlady, 39, in the stunning Ayia Athanasia chapel which forms part of the luxury Anassa Hote
A source said: ‘It was a very tasteful and stylish wedding and the hotel management really pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable day. There was a very lively party with loud music and lots of drinking that went on until late into the night.
‘Paul is very close to the hotel owners and they made sure that everybody had a great time. He loves Cyprus and it was a wonderful setting for what was a beautiful occasion.’
Paul has been in a relationship with Melissa for the past three years and is said to have quietly proposed in 2022.
The wedding celebrations kicked off at the start of the week when Paul and some of his guests enjoyed a lavish meal at the rustic Viklari Castle restaurant, which is set on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
It is considered to serve the best barbecue in Cyprus and the TV star once described it as his most favourite restaurant.
Paul and Melissa were also pictured catching rays and relaxing on a beach near their five-star hotel with their loved ones as they prepared for their big day.
The luxurious Anassa Hotel was opened in 1998 and is described as resembling a traditional village with Greek and Italian design elements.
Its main outdoor venue is called the Village Square, which has space for up to 300 guests with the chapel providing a stunning backdrop.
Wow! The hotel (pictured) is located on the north-west Akamas peninsula, one of the most unspoilt areas of the holiday island
Let the celebrations begin! It was followed by a reception and then a late-night party in the hotel’s entertainment area, which finished in the early hours
Wedding bells: The lavish celebrations kicked off on Wednesday in the late afternoon with a ceremony, where guests were seated outside the small chapel
Star guestlist: Guests included close family members and celebrity pals such as Paul’s fellow show judge Prue Leith
Amazing day: A source said: ‘It was a very tasteful and stylish wedding and the hotel management really pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable day’
What a view: The hotel looks out onto stunning views of the beach
Luxury: The Anassa Hotel was opened in 1998 and is described as resembling a traditional village with Greek and Italian design elements
Close to his heart: The owners also own the five-star Anabelle Hotel in Paphos, where Paul lived and worked as head baker for six years in the late 1990s
Ex: It was while working at the Anabelle that Paul met his ex-wife Alexandra to whom he was married for 19 years but they announced their split in 2017 (pictured together in 2015)
Weddings at the lavish property can cost anything up to £100,000 with the hotel priding itself on offering a luxurious service for your special day, making it one of the world’s premier wedding destinations.
Rooms at the hotel start at around £400 per night with villas, which come with their own swimming pool close to £4,000 per night.
The hotel also features a luxury spa and is privately owned by a well-known wealthy local family who are close friends with Paul.
They also own the five-star Anabelle Hotel in Paphos, where Paul lived and worked as head baker for six years in the late 1990s and learnt some of the skills which have shot him to fame.
In 2017 he returned to the hotel to film for his TV show ‘Paul Hollywood City Bakes.’
It was while working at the Anabelle that Paul met his ex-wife Alexandra to whom he was married for 19 years but they announced their split in 2017. Their relationship broke down over cheating allegations.
Expensive: Weddings at the lavish property can cost anything up to £100,000 with the hotel priding itself on offering a luxurious service for your special day
Living it up: The hotel also features a luxury spa and is privately owned by a well-known wealthy local family who are close friends with Paul
Over: Following his marriage breakdown, Paul went public with his romance with Summer Monteys-Fullam, who he also took to Cyprus back in 2018. They announced their split in 2019
The couple married in Cyprus but returned to Britain in 1999, where their son, Joshua was born in October 2001.
Following their break-up, Paul went public with his romance with Summer Monteys-Fullam, 26, but they then announced their split in 2019.
Insiders suggested Paul asked Melissa to marry him over Easter earlier this year, but she has only just started wearing her engagement ring publicly.
Last year it was revealed Paul was living with his new girlfriend in the countryside home that he bought with his former lover, Summer.
Melissa moved into Paul’s 18th-century farmhouse after the owners of The Chequers Inn in Smarden, Kent, where she was living, put it up for sale.
Friends previously spoke about how the couple saying they are ‘madly in love’.
‘Paul and Melissa spent a lot of time together in lockdown,’ said a friend. ‘They bubbled up together and stayed at his house. Now she is there for good. They are delightfully happy, though it must be a bit strange given it was bought for Summer.’
The baker met Melissa at The Chequers Inn where he was a regular.
They confirmed their relationship in December 2019 after previously denying they had sparked up a romance.
The TV judge had repeatedly denied he was enjoying a romance after their friendship was revealed in August 2019 following his split from Summer.
However, after the couple spent Christmas Day at the pub, a spokesman for Paul told the Mail On Sunday: ‘They are very happily together.’
Who is Paul Hollywood’s fiancée Melissa Spalding?
It’s fair to say Melissa Spalding got rather more than a Hollywood handshake when she first served Great British Bake Off star Paul at his local watering hole almost four years ago.
Indeed, Spalding is now in line to become the TV baker’s second wife when they marry this week – at the same Cyprus holiday resort that he was working at when he met his first.
Hollywood, 57, is believed to have ‘quietly proposed’ last year, and is now ready to exchange vows with the 39-year old publican – who is 17-years his junior.
The imminent marriage ceremony follows a bitter divorce from first wife Alexandra, with whom he shares a son, in 2019 and subsequent relationship with aesthetic practitioner Summer Monteys-Fullam.
In a curious twist, Spalding and Monteys-Fullam have been friends for years, having lived close to one another in rural Kent.
But who is the pub landlord responsible for capturing Hollywood’s heart? Read on to find out more.
The other half: Melissa Spalding is set to marry Paul Hollywood in Cyprus, but who is the pub landlord responsible for capturing his heart?
WHO IS SHE?
Spalding is a former publican who managed the Chequers Inn, located in the picturesque Kent village of Smarden, near Ashford, when she met Hollywood.
The quaint 14th century pub is understood to be owned by her parents, with its website stating: ‘The Spalding Family are the hospitable Innkeepers ready to welcome you to their historic building and garden.
‘The mature garden overlooks the village church and offers a peaceful setting next to a large, Lilly-topped carp pond.’
Spalding has been engaged twice before and at one time was set to marry Ashford based professional golfer Jason Barnes.
A Kent native, she was educated at Headcorn Primary School in Maidstone and the nearby Invicta Grammar School.
WHEN DID SHE MEET THE BAKE OFF STAR?
The pair embarked on a relationship four years ago after Bake Off star Hollywood, who lives in Kent, became a regular visitor to the Chequers.
While the TV personality initially denied the romance, her car was reportedly seen on the drive outside his nearby home, a £1million Grade II listed pile.
Connected: In a curious twist, Spalding and Hollywood’s ex Summer Monteys-Fullam (pictured) have been friends for years, having lived close to one another in rural Kent
WHERE DO THEY LIVE?
Spalding temporarily moved into into the 18th Century four-bedroom farmhouse in April 2020, with the couple growing closer as Britain was plunged into national lockdown during the pandemic.
Friends later claimed they were living together on a permanent basis at the property, originally purchased while Hollywood was dating Monteys-Fullam.
A source told the Mail On Sunday: ‘Paul and Melissa spent a lot of time together in lockdown.
‘They bubbled up together and stayed at his house. Now she is there for good. They are delightfully happy, though it must be a bit strange given it was bought for Summer.’
Previously: Hollywood and first wife Alexandra divorced in 2019 (pictured together in January 2015)
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