Melissa Grelo

Early life and education

Melissa Grelo was born on June 30, 1977, and is of Portuguese and Filipina descent. She initially pursued a career in education, working as a teacher before deciding to make a significant change in her professional path. To facilitate this transition, Grelo enrolled in the broadcast journalism program at Seneca College in Ontario. This educational foundation provided the necessary skills for her subsequent entry into the competitive field of television news and hosting. Her background in teaching has often been cited as an influence on her clear and engaging communication style on air. The decision to switch careers highlights a deliberate move towards media, a field where she would later build a national profile based on her reporting and hosting abilities.

Television career

Grelo's television career began with reporting roles at local stations, where she gained foundational experience. She worked as a reporter for CKVR-TV, which serves the Barrie and central Ontario region, before moving to Toronto's CITY-TV. Her work at these stations involved covering local news and developing her on-camera presence, which prepared her for larger roles. In 2009, she secured a major role as a co-host of CP24 Breakfast, a popular morning news and traffic program in the Greater Toronto Area. This position established her as a daily presence for commuters and made her a recognizable figure in Canadian morning television. The CP24 Breakfast role required early hours and a command of live, unfolding news and traffic events, skills she honed over many years.

Her role expanded to national television when she became a co-host of CTV's morning show Your Morning alongside Ben Mulroney. This program broadcasts across Canada, significantly increasing her profile and requiring her to address a nationwide audience. Grelo has also been involved in special event broadcasting, serving as a co-anchor for CTV's Olympic Morning coverage during the 2010 Winter Olympics held in Vancouver. She has been a fixture co-anchoring the broadcast of Toronto's annual Santa Claus Parade, a holiday tradition for many Canadian families. One of her most notable roles was as a founding moderator of the daytime talk show The Social, which launched in 2014. She helped develop and pitch the show before its greenlight, and returned to work eleven weeks after giving birth to co-host its launch, demonstrating a strong commitment to the project.

• Reporter for CKVR-TV (early career)
• Reporter for CITY-TV (prior to 2009)
• Co-host of CP24 Breakfast (starting 2009)
• Co-anchor for CTV's Olympic Morning (2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver)
• Co-anchor for Toronto Santa Claus Parade broadcasts (annual)
• Co-host of CTV's Your Morning (national broadcast)
• Founding moderator of The Social (involved in development, launched 2014)

Her work on The Social involved daily discussion of current events and lifestyle topics with a panel of co-hosts. The show's format relied on her moderation skills to guide conversation among strong personalities, a task that required quick thinking and diplomacy. This role lasted for several years before her departure from the program, marking the end of a significant chapter in her broadcasting career. Throughout her television work, she has maintained a focus on relatable and accessible content for a broad viewership.

Entrepreneurship and podcasting

Beyond her television work, Melissa Grelo has ventured into business with the founding of marQ, a gender-neutral children's clothing line. The brand is named after her daughter, Marquesa, reflecting a personal connection to the project and its inspiration. The line was created to offer inclusive clothing options for kids, moving away from traditional gendered apparel and tapping into a growing market. This entrepreneurial effort demonstrates her interest in the retail and design sectors outside of broadcasting and her ability to launch a consumer product. The marQ clothing line represents a tangible product stemming from her experience as a parent and her desire to create something meaningful.

In 2024, Grelo launched a new project focused on content creation for an older demographic with the podcast "Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo." The podcast aims to demystify challenges faced by Canadians in mid-life, providing fact-based guidance on relevant topics from health to finance. It serves as a source of fact-based guidance, featuring interviews with credible guests who offer expertise on these specific subjects. This venture represents a natural extension of her career into digital media and allows for deeper audience engagement on personal development topics. It allows her to explore topics of health, wellness, and life transitions in a longer-form audio format, free from the time constraints of television. The podcast's focus on providing credible information addresses a clear demand for reliable content on aging from a trusted public figure.

• Founded marQ, a gender neutral kids clothing line (named for daughter Marquesa)
• Launched "Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo" podcast in 2024
• Podcast goal: demystify mid-life challenges for Canadians
• Podcast method: fact-based guidance from credible guests

The podcast project aligns with her established role as a communicator and trusted public figure, leveraging her interview skills. It provides a platform for deeper exploration of issues that may not fit within the constraints of traditional morning television segments. This move into podcasting indicates an adaptation to evolving media consumption habits among her audience and a desire to control her content. The success of this podcast will depend on its ability to build a dedicated listener base interested in its specific niche of mid-life guidance.

Personal life and public persona

Melissa Grelo married Ryan Gaggi in 2008, and the couple resides in Ontario, building a life together while both pursuing their careers. She has spoken publicly about their journey to parenthood, which involved four years of fertility treatments at two different clinics, a process she has described as challenging. In a turn of events she has described as surprising, Grelo conceived her daughter naturally in 2014, the same year her professional project The Social was greenlit. Her daughter, Marquesa, was born that year, which required Grelo to balance new motherhood with a major career commitment. Grelo returned to work just eleven weeks after giving birth to co-host the launch of the new talk show, demonstrating a quick return to her professional commitments and a strong work ethic.

Grelo and her husband made a deliberate and mutual decision to have only one child, a choice she has discussed openly as being intentional rather than circumstantial. Her personal interests include travelling, reading, engaging in fitness training, and horseback riding, activities that provide a counterbalance to her busy career. These activities provide a balance to her busy career in television and media, offering outlets for relaxation and personal growth. Her Portuguese and Filipina heritage is an important part of her personal identity, though she maintains a focus on her professional life in the public sphere. Her openness about fertility struggles and intentional family planning has resonated with many viewers facing similar experiences, making her a relatable figure.

Her decision to publicly discuss the choice to have one child adds to a broader conversation about family size and parental agency in modern Canada. This aspect of her personal life, shared in interviews and on her platforms, contributes to a relatable and authentic public image. It connects her professional persona as a host with real-life experiences common to her audience, fostering a sense of trust and connection. By sharing these details, she has helped normalize discussions around fertility and intentional family planning in the public discourse.

Career timeline and major roles

Melissa Grelo's career progression shows a clear path from local reporting to national hosting and entrepreneurial ventures, marked by strategic steps. Her initial work as a teacher was followed by journalism training at Seneca College, which equipped her with the technical skills for broadcasting. Her first on-air roles were as a reporter for local television stations in Ontario, where she learned the fundamentals of news gathering. The move to CP24 Breakfast in 2009 marked her entry into a high-profile, daily hosting role within a major urban market, cementing her morning television persona. This was followed by national exposure through CTV's Your Morning and her influential role as a founding moderator on The Social, which showed her in a different format.

Each role built upon the previous, increasing her responsibilities and audience reach from local to national levels. The launch of her podcast in 2024 represents the latest phase, leveraging her communication skills in a dedicated audio format aimed at a specific demographic. This timeline illustrates a career built on consistent performance and strategic diversification into new media formats and business ventures. It shows a professional who has successfully handled multiple transitions within the broader Canadian media industry.

Questions about Melissa Grelo

What is Melissa Grelo known for?

Melissa Grelo is best known as a Canadian television personality who co-hosted CP24 Breakfast and CTV's national morning show Your Morning. She was also a founding moderator of the popular daytime talk show The Social, which she helped develop. Her career includes special event anchoring for the 2010 Winter Olympics and the Toronto Santa Claus Parade. Beyond television, she founded the marQ children's clothing line and launched the Aging Powerfully podcast in 2024.

What is Melissa Grelo's podcast about?

In 2024, Melissa Grelo created the podcast "Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo" to address issues relevant to mid-life Canadians. The podcast aims to demystify challenges that Canadians face during this life stage, providing fact-based guidance on topics from health to finance. It features interviews with credible guests who offer expertise on these specific subjects, ensuring the content is reliable. The show represents her expansion into digital media content focused on a specific adult demographic, using her platform to educate and inform.

How old is Melissa Grelo?

She is a Canadian television personality best known for co-hosting CP24 Breakfast and formerly moderating The Social. Grelo has also co-hosted CTV's national morning show Your Morning and anchored coverage for events like the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2024, she created the podcast 'Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo' to address challenges faced in mid-life. Her career transitioned from teaching to broadcast journalism after she studied at Seneca College.

What is Melissa Grelo's ethnicity?

Melissa Grelo is of Portuguese and Filipina descent. This background is part of her personal life as noted in her biography. She is a well known Canadian television personality with a career spanning roles at CP24, CTV, and as a former moderator on The Social. Grelo is also an entrepreneur, having founded a gender neutral children's clothing line named marQ after her daughter. Her diverse heritage is a noted fact in her public profile.

Is Melissa Grelo married?

Yes, Melissa Grelo is married to Ryan Gaggi. They were married in 2008. Together, they have one daughter named Marquesa, who was born in 2014 after Grelo conceived naturally following years of fertility treatments. The couple made a deliberate mutual decision to have one child, which Grelo has discussed publicly. Her family life is integrated with her career, as seen when she returned to work eleven weeks after giving birth to co-host the launch of The Social.

What happened to Melissa Grelo on The Social?

Melissa Grelo was a founding moderator of The Social, a show she helped develop and pitch. The show was greenlit in 2014, the same year her daughter was born. Grelo returned to work just eleven weeks after giving birth to co-host the show's launch. She served as a moderator on the program for several years before her eventual departure. Her role on The Social was a significant part of her career in Canadian daytime television.

Sources and further reading

• Melissa Grelo (Wikipedia)
• Melissa Grelo leaves CTV's The Social after a decade (nowtoronto.com)
• Melissa Grelo, Movimento Perpétuo (movimentoperpetuo.ca)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-31.