Born Melanie Ann Weston on 26 July 1980, West was raised in Woodend. She attended Woodend Primary School and eight high schools because her family followed her stepfather's engineering work around the country. West began performing in front of family and friends at an early age. In 1992, she entered the New South Wales Talented Child Drama Ensemble and later studied at Swinburne University of Technology, Tamworth Conservatorium of Music, and Riverina Drama Ensemble.
West joined the cast of Neighbours as Dee Bliss in 1999. Two years later, she was nominated for the "Most Popular New Female Talent" Logie Award. In March 2003, it was announced West was to leave Neighbours after her contract expired. She filmed her final scenes in early April.
In July 2002, West was hit by a bus in Sydney. The Actress was also robbed while she was unconscious. She needed reconstructive plastic surgery and had to be written out of Neighbours but returned to the show a month later.
West has been in a relationship with Shannon Bennett, a restaurateur, since 2005. The couple have six children together; Phoenix (born December 2005), Hendrix (born April 2008), Xascha (born July 2010), Xanthe (born 2012) and twins, Xalia and Margaux (2014). West commented that the Xs in the names did not start out as intentional.
West appeared in crime drama Underbelly as Danielle McGuire in 2008. In 2011, she joined the cast of Winners & Losers in the recurring role of Deidre Gross. West previously turned down a role with the show due to being heavily pregnant with her third child.
In 2013, West appeared in series two of House Husbands as Dimity. West reprised her role of Danielle McGuire in the Underbelly spin-off series Fat Tony & Co.. The series focuses on the rise and fall of Tony Mokbel, who also featured in the original series, played by Robert Mammone.
In 2016, West reprised the role of Dee Bliss in Neighbours, and joined the cast of The Wrong Girl as TV host Erica Jones. Her first book titled Six Under Eight was published in March and she has begun writing a second book.
