Melissa Grelo Biography: Age, CP24 Breakfast, The Social Exit 2026, Aging Powerfully Podcast, Husband, Net Worth

Melissa Grelo is the Canadian television broadcaster who co-founded CTV’s The Social, spent 13 seasons as its moderator, and became one of Toronto’s most familiar faces as the original co-host of CP24 Breakfast. In August 2026 she walked away from 18 years at Bell Media — just months after helping launch CP24’s retooled morning show — to run her own podcast, Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo, now in its fourth season. The teacher-turned-journalist, 49, remains a leading voice on midlife, ageism and women in broadcasting.

Quick Facts

Fans searching for Melissa Grelo also follow The Social CTV, CP24 Breakfast, Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo, Ben Mulroney Your Morning, Matte Babel, Ann Rohmer, Toronto television hosts and Canadian journalists of Filipino heritage.

Early Life & Education

Melissa Grelo was born on 30 June 1977 in Toronto, Ontario, to Portuguese and Filipina immigrant parents. She grew up in a large, close-knit, multi-ethnic family — her octogenarian parents, Frank and Claire Grelo, remain her biggest role models, a fact she returns to often on her podcast. She has a sister, Rosanna.

Grelo’s first career was in education: she worked as a teacher before deciding to change paths. She retrained in broadcast journalism at Seneca College, and the discipline of the classroom followed her into television. That teaching foundation still shows in her on-air style — calm, prepared and unusually patient with complex stories.

Career Journey

Reporter Years: CKVR-TV and CITY-TV

After Seneca, Grelo reported for CKVR-TV in Barrie and then CITY-TV in Toronto, covering Toronto’s biggest breaking-news stories. The gigs were grinding, but they built the reflexes that would define her later work. By the late 2000s she was ready for a bigger platform — and CP24 was about to launch a new kind of morning show.

CP24 Breakfast and National Television (2009–2016)

In 2009, Grelo became the first co-host of CP24 Breakfast, Toronto’s wake-up newscast, and held the chair for years. In 2010 she made her national debut co-hosting CTV’s Olympic Morning from Whistler during the Vancouver Winter Olympics, and she became a regular fixture of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade and other CTV specials. In August 2016 she joined CTV’s national morning show Your Morning with Ben Mulroney as a contributing host.

The Social: Creating a Canadian Institution (2013–2026)

Grelo’s biggest mark on Canadian TV came off-screen first: she helped develop and pitch the concept that became The Social, CTV’s daily women’s-talk panel. The show was greenlit in 2014 — the same year her daughter was born — and Grelo returned to work eleven weeks after giving birth to launch it. She moderated the panel for 13 seasons, making the show a ratings hit and a national conversation-starter alongside co-hosts Jess Allen, Andrea Bain and Cynthia Loyst.

On 19 August 2026, CTV announced The Social would be reimagined as a video podcast for its 14th season — without Grelo. In a social-media statement she thanked CTV for greenlighting her idea years earlier but said her podcast now lets her “connect with people more directly and own more of the stories she tells.” The announcement came with a personal milestone attached: 18 years at Bell Media, which she marked in her own post: “It’s time for a new chapter.”

2026: CP24 Returns and the Podcast Era

Earlier in 2026, on 26 March, Grelo was named a co-host of CP24’s brand-new breakfast program — a 3.5-hour, 5:30 a.m. live show alongside Matte Babel and lead anchor Ann Rohmer, with the popular enhanced screen kept intact. It was a homecoming to the show she helped invent in 2009. By late summer, however, her focus had shifted entirely to Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo: season 4 launched on 24 September 2026, built around fact-based guidance, credible guests and candid conversations about midlife — a response, she says, to how “aging” women are treated on television.

Career Stats

• The Social: Co-creator, moderator and co-host — 13 seasons (2014–2026)
• CP24 Breakfast: Original co-host (2009); returned to the retooled morning show in March 2026
• Bell Media tenure: 18 years (departed August 2026)
• National roles: CTV Olympic Morning (2010, Whistler), Your Morning contributing host (from August 2016), Toronto Santa Claus Parade
• Podcast: Aging Powerfully with Melissa Grelo — Season 4 launched 24 September 2026
• Business: Founder, marQ — a gender-neutral children’s clothing line named after her daughter

Personal Life

• Husband: Ryan Gaggi — married 6 September 2008
• Children: One daughter, Marquesa Gaggi, born 8 March 2014 — the namesake of Grelo’s marQ children’s clothing line
• Parents: Frank and Claire Grelo — Portuguese and Filipina immigrants, both in their 80s and, in Melissa’s words, her role models for “life, health and wellness”
• Sibling: Sister, Rosanna Grelo
• Lifestyle: Fitness training, horseback riding, travel; based in Toronto

Relationships and Dating History

Melissa Grelo’s only publicly known relationship is her marriage to Ryan Gaggi. They dated privately and married on 6 September 2008 in a ceremony surrounded by family. After four years of fertility treatment at two clinics, the couple conceived their daughter Marquesa naturally in 2014 — the same year The Social was greenlit. Grelo returned to work eleven weeks after giving birth. The couple made a deliberate, mutual decision to have one child, which she has discussed publicly as intentional rather than circumstantial. There are no reported relationships before Gaggi and no separation rumors — unusually quiet, even by broadcasting standards.

Controversies

Grelo’s 20-plus-year career has been largely free of scandal, but two moments drew significant attention:

• “Quebecers are a tribe” debate (13 August 2021): During a Social panel on the status of the French language in Canada, guest Jan Wong stated “I think Quebecers are a tribe.” The remark — made in a debate Grelo took part in — ignited backlash and weeks of media criticism over how the show handled Quebec and language politics.
• The Social exit (August 2026): Fans were “taken by surprise” when Bell Media announced The Social would continue as a video podcast with Allen, Bain and Loyst — but without Grelo. Some viewers criticized the network on social media; Grelo herself framed it as a positive pivot to ownership of her own platform.

Awards & Achievements

• Original co-host of CP24 Breakfast (2009) — helped define Toronto’s signature morning show
• CTV Olympic Morning co-host (2010) — national debut from Whistler during the Vancouver Winter Olympics
• Co-creator and moderator of The Social — 13 seasons of Canada’s top-rated daytime talk show (2014–2026)
• 18-year Bell Media career spanning local news, national mornings and daytime television (2008–2026)
• Founder of marQ, a gender-neutral children’s clothing line
• Aging Powerfully podcast — renewed for a fourth season in 2026

Physical Statistics

• Height: 5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
• Weight: Not disclosed publicly
• Hair Color: Dark Brown
• Eye Color: Brown
• Build: Petite and athletic — a committed fitness enthusiast who trains regularly and rides horses

Quotes

“After 13 extraordinary seasons on The Social, and 18 years at Bell Media, it’s time for a new chapter.”

Melissa Grelo, LinkedIn statement on leaving The Social (19 August 2026)

“The audience was crucial to our success. We often would say that the audience was like the other character in the show… We shared our lives together.”

Melissa Grelo, Toronto Star interview (24 September 2026)

Favorites

• Favorite City: Toronto — her hometown and broadcast base for 20+ years
• Favorite Workout: Fitness training and horseback riding — both regular parts of her routine
• Favorite Cause: Midlife women’s health and fighting ageism in broadcasting — the mission of her podcast
• Favorite Role Model: Her octogenarian immigrant parents, Frank and Claire Grelo
• Favorite Fashion Project: marQ, the gender-neutral kids’ line named after daughter Marquesa
• Favorite Film Reference: Hustlers — she wore a “Hustlers” shirt to her 2026 Toronto Star interview and says the title fits how she sees herself

Earnings

Net worth: estimated $1–5 million. Grelo’s income comes from two decades of Bell Media salaries (CP24 Breakfast, The Social, Your Morning), her marQ clothing line, brand partnerships and the Aging Powerfully podcast. Exact salary figures have never been publicly disclosed; published estimates vary widely.

• Estimated net worth: $1–5 million (published estimates, 2026)
• Salary: Not officially disclosed during her Bell Media tenure
• Current income: Podcast (Season 4, 2026), CP24 Breakfast co-hosting, speaking and brand work
• Business ventures: marQ gender-neutral children’s clothing line

Interesting Facts

• She was a teacher before becoming a journalist — and retrained at Seneca College to make the switch.
• She helped pitch the concept for The Social and went back to work just eleven weeks after giving birth to launch it.
• Her daughter Marquesa’s name inspired her clothing line, marQ.
• She co-hosted CTV’s Olympic Morning from Whistler during the 2010 Winter Olympics — her national TV debut.
• After four years of fertility treatment, she conceived her daughter naturally — a journey she has discussed openly.
• In 2026 she told the Toronto Star she wore a “Hustlers” shirt because, as a multi-hyphenate broadcaster, podcaster and entrepreneur, the word fits.

Did You Know Already?

• Did you know Melissa Grelo co-created The Social and moderated it for 13 seasons before leaving in August 2026?
• Did you know she was the original co-host of CP24 Breakfast back in 2009 — and returned to a new CP24 morning show in March 2026?
• Did you know she started her career as a teacher before retraining in broadcast journalism?
• Did you know she is of Portuguese and Filipina descent and often cites her immigrant parents as her role models?
• Did you know she returned to work eleven weeks after giving birth to launch The Social in 2014?

Social Media Links

• Instagram: @melissagrelo
• Instagram (podcast): @agingpowerfullywithmg
• Podcast website: agingpowerfullywithmelissagrelo.com
• LinkedIn: Melissa Grelo

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Melissa Grelo’s career reads like a map of Canadian television in the 21st century: local news, breakfast TV, the Olympics, a groundbreaking daytime talk show and now the podcast era she is helping to define. At 49, after 18 years at Bell Media, she is betting that her voice — honest about midlife, ageism and reinvention — matters more outside the network machine than in it. If you found this biography helpful, please share it with fellow TV and podcast fans!