Michelle Rocca Irish model Country: Ireland

Biography of Michelle Rocca

Michelle Rocca is an Irish model, television presenter, and beauty pageant contestant. She was born in Dublin, Ireland to parents Paddy and Maureen Rocca. Michelle is the granddaughter of Italian immigrant Egidio Rocca, who founded the highly successful company 'Rocca Tiles'. Growing up in a large family, Michelle had two brothers and three sisters.

Michelle Rocca received her education at the University College Dublin, where she studied Greek and Roman civilization, as well as Italian and French archaeology. She is fluent in multiple languages and holds a master's degree from Trinity College in Dublin and a diploma from Bristol University.

Throughout her modeling career, Rocca participated in various beauty pageants, with her crowning achievement being winning the 'Miss Ireland' pageant in 1980. In 1981, she also ranked third in the international beauty pageant 'Miss International'.

Aside from her modeling endeavors, Michelle Rocca has had other professional pursuits. She worked in her family's business for some time and in 1987, she became a television presenter on RTE. In 1988, Rocca and Pat Kenny co-hosted the 'Eurovision' song contest, which was watched by approximately 600 million viewers worldwide. However, despite this impressive achievement, Michelle did not achieve significant success in the television industry and continued to balance her appearances on television with her modeling career.

Michelle Rocca's personal life includes her marriage to Irish footballer John Devine, whom she started dating when she was 17 years old. They married in 1981 and have two daughters, Danielle and Natasha. The couple separated in 1987, and Michelle relocated to Dublin with her children. They formally divorced in 1990. Michelle later became engaged to Cathal Ryan, the son of multimillionaire Tony Ryan. However, their relationship was short-lived, and they separated after two years together, just before the birth of their third child.

In the summer of 1992, Michelle Rocca met musician Van Morrison. Their relationship garnered significant media attention, and Michelle appeared on the cover of Morrison's album 'Days Like This' in 1995. Although they had a period of separation, they reunited, and in 1997, Rocca accused Ryan of assault and battery, which led to a court case. The couple has two children together, but they prefer to keep their relationship private.

Tragically, on January 20, 2009, Michelle's brother, Patrick Rocca, an Irish real estate specialist, took his own life due to the global financial crisis, which severely impacted his once successful business.