Numerous authors have graced HELLO! magazine in the past.
But as far as we know, none of them have been able to effortlessly raise their legs straight up into the air, toes perfectly pointed, like Melanie Hamrick as she poses in a ballgown and sky-high heels.
A former member of the ensemble at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre, she has effortlessly pirouetted away from a career in dance into the life of an author – and as her second fiction book is released, it’s clear there is much more to the effervescent 37-year-old from Williamsburg, Virginia than meets the eye.
Becoming a best-selling author
While her name became world famous overnight when her romance with Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger hit the headlines ten years ago, she has worked incredibly hard to become successful in two demanding careers.
And she is still pinching herself when she talks about her burgeoning second act as a best-selling author.
“It’s so weird to say I’m an established writer now because I don’t feel like it,” she tells us. “It was always a dream to be a writer, but it was kind of surreal.”
Having Mick Jagger’s support
Despite her many accomplishments, Melanie admits she is often hard on herself, an attitude she says comes from growing up in the highly competitive world of dance.
This is despite the support of Mick, who read both The Unraveling and her 2023 release First Position before they were published and offered great advice.
“I think, from the ballet world, I’m so self-critical,” she says. “I always assume whenever someone reads something of mine that they’re going to have loads of notes, as they do in the ballet studio.
“But Mick loves reading them. He’s a really nice, creative sounding board that I’m really lucky to have. With First Position he read it every step of the way; I would write a chapter and show him and say things like ‘It’s horrible!’ and he would say ‘It’s really good, Melanie, be proud of yourself.’
“And then with The Unraveling, he had to wait until the end to read it, but I told him not to tell me anything bad as I couldn’t change anything.”
Her son Devereaux’s musical talent
She retired from the American Ballet Theatre in 2019 after 15 years, in part because she was struggling to combine the job with being a mother.
Nowadays she relishes being able to have fun with her partner and son.
While the days of dancing around the kitchen with Sir Mick and Devereaux are long gone – “When my son was little, we would do the hokey cokey occasionally but now he will be like, ‘Mom it’s not cool’. How is he a teenager already?” – she says she loves seeing his talents grow.
“I can’t wait to see what he does. But I don’t want to put pressure on him as between Mick and I, that’s a lot of pressure.
“When I hear him sing in school shows I say things like ‘Oh my God, his singing voice was amazing, did everyone hear that?’ And then I think ‘Melanie let him be a kid! Don’t be a stage parent!”
The Unraveling by Melanie Hamrick (HQ, HarperCollins) is out on 26th September.
To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
