TAKE a closer look at Morning Live star Michelle Ackerley’s rise to fame and her relationship with TV presenter mum, who she credits for her success.
After completing a degree in psychology, Michelle, 39, got her start at the BBC working behind-the-scenes as a programme maker. But she quickly found herself in front of the camera, and Michelle has now appeared on a number of shows such as The One Show, Watch Dog and Dirty Rotten Scammers.
She is currently one of the main presenters on BBC’s Morning Live alongside Gethin Jones and Helen Skelton.
However, Michelle has said that her career success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her mum, Mavis.
Michelle and Mavis, 67, have an incredibly close bond, and a strong working relationship as the mother daughter duo have appeared on screen together more than once.
The Morning Live presenter opened up Hello! Magazine about their close relationship earlier this year.
“Mum isn’t just my parent, she’s my best friend too,” Michelle told the magazine.
She continued: “I can talk to her about anything, and we speak every day.
“I look forward to spending time with my mum because it’s fun. My mates love going out with her too – they call her ‘Mave the Rave’. I wish I had her energy.”
During the interview, Mavis gushed about her daughter in equal measure.
“If Michelle wasn’t my daughter, she would be my best mate, because I love her to bits; I love everything about her. She’s the total opposite of me, but she understands me,” Mavis praised.
But she added that a mother’s work is never done, and she’s always on hand to give her daughter advice when she needs it.
“I am still a mother, and sometimes I need to say, ‘Michelle, no, you’re going a bit far now,’” she said.
During the early days of Michelle’s career, she would often invite her mum Mavis, a former nurse who retrained as a personal trainer and life coach, to join her on TV segments.
They worked together on a story about excavating a Reno nightclub in Manchester for The One Show, as it was one of Mavis’ old haunts, before they were eventually offered their own show.
Working together no doubt gave them a unique appeal and, in 2022, Michelle and Mavis co-presented their own docuseries, Dirty Rotten Scammers. In the investigative series, the duo scrutinises the world of fraud and cyber security while trying to help people who’ve been affected by online crimes.
“Mum has been such a support through school and my career and it goes both ways; we’ve got each other’s backs,” says Michelle, who recently married Brentford Football Club’s performance director Ben Ryan, 50.
The couple enjoyed an intimate wedding in May in front of a few family members.
Of course, Mavis was front and centre, enjoying her daughter’s happy day.
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In turn, Michelle was a huge support for her mum Mavis when Marcus, her husband of 30 years, died from lung cancer in 2018.
She even encouraged her mum to find love again. Now she is in a relationship with retired restauranteur Tim.
“It’s so lovely to see her happy with a fantastic partner and to be able to share and enjoy that with them, especially when we have been through such difficult times.
“The grief doesn’t go away, but it’s nice to get to a point where you can look back and smile about happy times,” Michelle said.
