SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Lord Melvin Bragg gives his wife a huge pay-off… but NO divorce: Broadcaster said to have bought her a house as part of their ‘amicable settlement’ When the distinguished broadcaster Melvyn Bragg confirmed to me last June that he had separated after 43 years from his wife, author Cate Haste, many of his friends assumed divorce proceedings would soon follow. However, I can disclose that the Labour peer, 77, who presented ITV’s flagship arts programme The South Bank Show for more than 30 years, has agreed a huge financial settlement with Lady Bragg, 71, that will, unusually, involve the couple remaining man and wife.