Melanie attended RADA in London where she won the Vanburgh Award. Her stage plays have included Women Beware Women (Royal Court), Under Milk Wood, Selfish Shellfish, Twelfth Night, Deathtrap, Dirty Linen, Breezeblock Park, Who Killed Hilda Murrell?, Fire in the Lake, and the stage version of Bread (1986). She's best known as Aveline in the British TV series Bread (1986). Other TV appearances include Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (1983) (Hazel), Juliet Bravo (1980), The Bill (1984), A Night on the Tyne (1989) and Boon (1986). Melanie has two young daughters, Lorna and Molly.