Melyssa Ford is a Canadian model, TV personality and actress, who has appeared in rap and R&B videos and on the covers of men's magazines. She is nicknamed Jessica Rabbit, because her figure is said to resemble the animated character, and she has written an advice column under the pseudonym in Smooth Magazine. Ford is of mixed heritage: her father is West Indian (from Barbados), and her mother is Norwegian and Russian.
Ford was born and raised in Toronto, and studied Forensic Psychology at York University, before dropping out to pursue entertainment. She was first "discovered" by Canadian video director Little X, who went on to cast her in Mystikal's "Shake Ya Ass," and other clips, helping to establish her as one of the most visible and sought-after music video models in the entertainment industry. She went on to host two BET programs—the reality show How I'm Livin' and the entertainment magazine show BET Style—between 2004 and 2006. Ford has also worked in film and appears in the 2007 Electronic Arts hip-hop video game, Def Jam Icon.
