TV presenter Melanie Sykes has revealed that she once turned down the chance to appear on Strictly Come Dancing due to her deep aversion to reality TV shows.

“I don’t want to do reality TV. I almost did Strictly Come Dancing, but I didn’t in the end and I think that was a good choice,” Sykes told Celebs On Sunday magazine.

“I’d like to be at the end of my career and know that I didn’t do a reality show. I think that would be quite something in this day and age.”

Melanie revealed that she has been offered many jobs which she turned down and insists that she is not desperate for the spotlight.

“The worst job I’ve been asked to do was eat junk food for a month to see what would happen to me,” she explained. “I was like: ‘Why would I want to poison myself for the sake of TV?’

“But there’s always some bugger that will. I don’t have to be on TV regardless of what the project is to make me feel good.”