Married at First Sight star Mel Schilling has sadly died at the age of just 54. Just months before her death, the ‘optimistic’ mum believed there was a light at the end of the tunnel
MAFS star Mel Schilling has died aged 54(Image: @mel_schilling1/Instagram)
Mel Schilling clung to a final hope of overcoming cancer before one call changed everything.
The beloved MAFS star has died at the age of 54, just days after revealing cancer had spread to her brain.
A firm favourite on the show, Mel’s smile and charisma lit up every room. But behind the scenes, the dating coach was struggling with her declining health. Her husband Gareth Brisbane said in a heartbreaking statement: “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.”
READ MORE: Mel Schilling dead: MAFS icon dies at 54 – days after revealing cancer had spread
Earlier this month, Mel took to Instagram to reveal that her diagnosis was terminal, with doctors sadly informing her there was nothing more they could do to treat her condition. Mel, who shared a 10-year-old daughter, Maddie, with husband, told her followers: “My light is starting to fade – and quickly. But I am still here, still fighting, and surrounded by the most incredible love.”
The Australian TV star, who was misdiagnosed twice, first began to suspect something was amiss when she started experiencing severe stomach pain and found she couldn’t eat or even use the loo. In December 2023, Mel was diagnosed with colon cancer, with a scan revealing a “tumour the size of a lemon”.
Whilst the tumour, which Mel affectionately named ‘Terry’, was successfully removed, this was just the beginning of the mum-of-one’s ordeal, and in February 2024, during a routine scan, small nodules were detected on her lung. The cancer had spread.
Exhausting treatment
In her post, Mel reflected on how her “world changed again in an instant” when she received her diagnosis. Over the next two years, Mel endured 16 rounds of chemotherapy, all whilst continuing to film for MAFS, in an effort to retain some sense of normality and self. To viewers, Mel appeared as upbeat and composed as ever, but the reality of working while battling cancer proved immensely challenging.
Back in January 2025, during a candid interview with OK! magazine, Mel said: “There were definitely times when I came off set, and I was in tears, or I was vomiting. It was hard.” Although Mel and her family typically enjoy watching the series back, during her final seasons, this turned out to be a “bittersweet” experience.
Mel, who collaborated with fellow experts Charlene Douglas and Paul C. Brunson to pair up singletons, admitted: “I found it tough to watch back on TV. It was bittersweet because I didn’t look or sound like myself. I noticed that I wasn’t speaking up or giving things my full attention. I didn’t have that energy. Gareth found it tough, too. He was like, ‘It just isn’t you’. I think it was the first time we realised I actually looked sick.”
Thankfully, Mel, who first joined the popular dating experiment show in 2016, received an abundance of “wonderful” support on set. Speaking with the Mirror in 2024, she said: “I was going through chemo the whole time we were filming the UK series. The team was just crowding around me to give me as much flexibility and support as they possibly could. They really cared for me. It wasn’t easy, but it was so wonderful to be able to work because it enabled me to still feel like me.”
Crushed optimism
Just a few months ago, self-proclaimed “eternal optimist” Mel had remained hopeful that there was light at the end of the tunnel, after being informed she was eligible for “a groundbreaking clinical trial specific to [her] gene type.” The trial was scheduled for March 2026 and, according to Mel, “Once again, my optimism soared that I might beat this thing.”
Regrettably, things took a turn over Christmas when Mel began suffering “blinding headaches“, as well as numbness along my right side. Mel wrote: “After many tests, I was told the cancer had spread to the left side of my brain and, despite subsequent radiotherapy sessions, my oncology team have now told me there is nothing further they can do.”
Reflecting on how “hearing those words changes everything”, Mel offered a piece of advice to followers, urging, “If I could leave you with one thing, it would simply be this: if something doesn’t feel right, please get it checked out. It might just save your life.”
‘Cheerleader’ daughter
In the same interview, Mel revealed how she received behind-the-scenes support from her “cheerleader” daughter Maddie, and shared her sadness about the everyday parenting experiences she’d been forced to forgo due to her illness. She recalled: “Maddie understood enough when I was having chemo, and she knew I’d be very emotional in the days following it. I’d have a lot of tears and difficulty walking at times. So she was definitely aware.
“But it was hard. I remember one time, she came running into my bedroom to show me a dance that she’d made up – chip off the old block. But I didn’t even have the energy to watch her dance, and that just broke my heart, because we bond over things like that, and I just couldn’t.”
Mel’s bond with her young daughter carries extra significance considering the TV star’s challenging journey to motherhood. Speaking previously with Woman’s Day in February 2022, she reflected: “I didn’t think I was going to be a mum. I was single for my entire 30s, and having a baby wasn’t even on my radar until it was almost too late!” A devastating miscarriage at the age of 40 helped Mel understand just how desperately she wanted a child, and she and Gareth subsequently welcomed Maddie through IVF.
Supportive husband Mel previously commended her Northern Irish husband, Gareth, for being her pillar of strength throughout her health struggles. The pair initially connected on the dating platform eHarmony when Mel was a 39-year-old who had been single for years. They married in 2018 with an intimate ceremony in Bali, and have established their home in London, with Mel splitting her time between the UK and Australia for MAFS commitments.
She said, “I can’t imagine getting through this process without him. He really stepped in and took a lot of things off my plate. Even small decisions like what I’m going to have for lunch became tough, but he intuitively knew to help.”
Mel also highlighted just how vital the love of her husband and daughter was to her in her Instagram post, which featured a poignant photograph of the family embracing beside a Christmas tree.
Calling Gareth and Maddie her “everything”, she wrote: “Simple tasks have become incredibly difficult, and I am relying on my beautiful family to look after me. I honestly don’t know how long I have left, but I do know I will fight to my last breath and will be surrounded by the love and support of my people.”
Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
