Melissa Downes (born 17 September 1973) is an Australian broadcast journalist. Downes is currently a co-presenter of ''

Nine News Queensland ''Nine News Queensland'' is the flagship state-based news bulletin of the Nine Network in Brisbane. It is screened across Queensland on weeknights, while on weekends it is also screened on a half-hour delay in the Northern Territory. Like all '' ...

'' alongside

Andrew Lofthouse Andrew Lofthouse (born 1962 or 1963) is a television and radio newsreader based in Brisbane, Australia. The former teacher is the weeknight presenter of ''Nine News Queensland'' with Melissa Downes, having previously presented on weekends. Prior ...

Career

Downes first worked with Seven Brisbane where she was a reporter, fill-in presenter and also co-hosted a live 5pm local magazine show. After joining Nine Brisbane in 2001, Downes reported on the road and acted as fill-in weekend presenter before assuming that role full-time in 2006. She has also worked as a reporter for local magazine show ''Saturday Extra'' and a presenter of QTQ-9's '' Nine Gold Coast News'' bulletin. In November 2008, Downes replaced

Heather Foord Heather Foord (born 1965) is an Australian television journalist. Foord was a news presenter for the Nine Network in Brisbane for over 20 years, presenting the weekday edition of ''Nine News Queensland'' with Bruce Paige between 1995–2001, and ...

as presenter of ''

'' weeknight bulletin alongside Bruce Paige (and later

from June 2009 onwards). Her appointment came at a time in which the bulletin had lost its long-standing ratings lead in the Brisbane market, ''Nine News Queensland'' having finished second behind the rival ''Seven News Brisbane'' for the second year in a row, as well as losing all 40 ratings weeks in 2008. However, in recent years ''Nine News Queensland'' has regained the lead locally, winning 21 out of 40 weeks in 2013.

Personal life

Early life

Born and raised in Brisbane, Downes graduated from

Somerville House Somerville House is an independent, boarding and day school for girls, located in South Brisbane, an inner-city suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Established in 1899 as the Brisbane High School for Girls, the School was eventually nam ...

in 1988. She moved to Sydney to model for two years before returning to Brisbane to complete an Arts Journalism degree at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

Family

Downes is married to DJ Wendt, owner of music group

The Ten Tenors The TEN Tenors (also known as TTT) are an Australian music ensemble that has toured worldwide, been seen by more than 90 million people and attracted a vast international fan-base by performing a unique combination of classical and contemporary m ...

. The couple have two daughters.

References

External links

9 NewsTwitter - Melissa Downes
Nine News presenters Living people 1971 births University of Queensland alumni Australian women television journalists {{australia-tv-bio-stub