Melinda Messenger, pregnant with her third child, reveals why she wants a family as big as the Waltons.

The Swindon-born TV presenter and model made the claim in an interview with the Evening Advertiser during the week she announced her surprise third pregnancy.

The mother-of-two said that in an ideal world she would have a family like the Waltons, the family featured in the seventies American television show of the same name, because she loves children.

But she said she might not have another baby of her own and instead is considering adopting or fostering children.

Melinda was speaking at Asda Wal-Mart in Haydon Wick to promote the Mum of the Year competition, which is being run by a national newspaper in conjunction with Asda.

She met fellow mum Leyley-Anne Mills, 35, from Clacton-on-Sea, who is a finalist in the competition. The winner, voted for by the public, will be announced in a ceremony hosted by Melinda at London's Kensington Roof Gardens on Wednesday.

The star, who lives near Swindon in Lower Wanborough with her husband Wayne, spent an hour outside the store signing autographs and talking to customers.

Celebrity mum-of-the-year Melinda, who has two children Morgan, three and Flynn, one and a half, said: "I'm very, very excited about the new baby. Shocked, surprised and delighted.

"I don't know if I will have another baby myself, but I do want to have more children in the house, in the future I'd like to adopt or foster but I'm still trying to talk Wayne into it.

"Being a mum is a stressful job but the most important thing I would say to anyone is remember to enjoy it as much as you can.

"There is no need to stress about the little things really."

With the fourth series of Big Brother coming to the end of it's first week, Melinda spoke of how it was spooky to watch people on television after appearing on the programme herself in November last year.

"I have been watching it but it takes a little while until all of the characters emerge," she said.

"Watching it does bring back memories, it's quite spooky and the house is much smaller in real life.

"I'm glad to be watching it and not inside, one was enough."

Melinda chatted to Mrs Mills about being a mum, and the mother-of-four said that Swindon's favourite celebrity was just the same as any other mum.

Mrs Mills was nominated for award by her son James, 14, for helping him when he got into trouble for bad behaviour at school and setting up her own charity shop in aid of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)

She said: "We both said that before we got here we were agonising about what to wear, Melinda was really down to earth and it shows that all mums are the same.

"We both want to give our children the right values and turn out the right way, and we both have our routines of doing the ironing, washing and cooking.

"I think you have 10 years with your children and after that all of the other outside influences come in, but if you have given them the right values they will be okay."

Internet links:

The Evening Advertiser's Melinda Messenger site: www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/leisure/celebs/mel_index.html