Married at First Sight dating expert Mel Schilling has died aged 54 after being diagnosed with colon cancer, which then spread to her brain. The relationship expert spoke to Best Quality Designer Handbag in April 2024, during her chemotherapy treatment, and she described her long-time husband Gareth as "amazing" amid her health struggles. We look back at her touching words about the father of her daughter, Maddie...
"Gareth and I are very, very different and this is where it's really helping," she explained. "He's been very practical, doing all the research on different therapies and making sure everything keeps ticking over and running in the home to take the pressure off me in that way. Which is just so amazing to not have to think about that stuff."
© InstagramShe continued: "I think something that becomes so important when you're going through such a confronting process is you need privacy. We even find it hard to find a moment now without our daughter there to talk about the hard stuff."
"There's a lot of guilt that comes with a diagnosis like this."
At the time of the interview, Mel was feeling "a little under the weather" in the midst of tough chemotherapy cycles. "There's a lot of guilt that comes with a diagnosis like this because it’s not just you yourself and your body going through it, but it's your social unit and family unit around you," she said. "There's definitely times when I've not wanted Gareth to see me feeling vulnerable, or sometimes I've had some physical side effects from some of the drugs and I don't want him to see that, and I want to protect him from that."
However, she also added that "cancer is not something you can do on your own - it is definitely a team sport". Thinking about others going through the same situation, she said: "My first bit of advice for partners would be to ask, 'What level of support do you need?'". She continued: "I think when someone is potentially facing their own mortality, the idea of even finding the words to start talking about it can be so incredibly overwhelming and you've got to be in the right place and feel safe, secure, loved, held and nurtured in order to open up and share some of that."
© Channel 4Gareth's heartfelt words for wife Mel
The sad news of Mel's passing was confirmed by her husband, Gareth Brisbane-Schilling, who penned: "Melanie Jane Brisbane-Schilling passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love. In her final moments, when I thought cancer had taken away her ability to speak, she ushered me closer and whispered a message for Maddie and me that will sustain me for the rest of my life.
"It took all of her remaining strength, and that gesture summed up our wee Melsie perfectly. Even then, her only thought was for Maddie and me. This is a woman who became a new mum and a TV star at 42 – and nailed both.
"This is a woman who, through two years of chemotherapy, when she could barely lift her head from the pillow, never complained and never stopped showing courage, grace, compassion and empathy, and never missed a day of filming. To most of you, she was Mel Schilling – matriarch of MAFS and queen of reality TV. To Maddie and me, she was our wee Melsie: an incredible mum, role model, and soulmate.
"To Sarah at InterTalent, not just an agent, but a true confidante. And to the wonderful Elizabeth Day – Mel’s podcasting partner and dear friend – thank you for your friendship and empathy. Life can be beautiful, and life can be incredibly cruel. But ultimately, life is fleeting, fragile, and tomorrow is promised to no one. If you can do anything to honour Mel, please live life to the full, love your people well, and try not to sweat the small stuff."
His sad statement ended: "I had 15 wonderful years with my soulmate, and it was the privilege of my life to be by her side. For that, I will be forever thankful. Goodbye, my love. My one. Until we meet again."
Tributes have since been flooding in from fellow co-stars, colleagues and celebrity friends. John Aiken, who appeared alongside Mel on MAFS for 10 years, shared a heartbreaking post on social media. It included the line: "Dearest Mel - I want to thank you for everything you have given me over the past decade. I am distraught. Sadly and devastatingly, I have to accept that you are now gone."
