Mel Schilling and her husband, Gareth Brisbane, would have celebrated their 8th wedding anniversary today – to mark the occasion, he reflected on their love in an emotional post
Mel Schilling’s husband has shared a heart-breaking tribute to his late wife on what would have been their eighth wedding anniversary.
The Australian TV personality, who appeared as one of the dating experts on Married at First Sight from 2016 until her death this year, died on March 24, 2026, at the age of 54 following a brave public battle with cancer. She left behind her husband, Gareth Brisbane, and their 11-year-old daughter, Madison, also known as Maddie.
Mel and Gareth tied the knot in a stunning destination wedding in Bali in July 2018, and later held an intimate second wedding ceremony on Christmas Eve in 2020. Today, on what would have been their eighth wedding anniversary, Gareth took to Mel’s Instagram to share his heartbreak as he continues grieving his loss.
Posting a photo of him and Mel kissing on their wedding day as he held their daughter and their loved ones celebrated their love, Gareth wrote: “Ah my one. Hard to reconcile that the anniversary of the happiest day of my life could become one of the saddest.
“We didn’t quite make 8 years married or 15 years together but what a love and what a life we had! By the end of our first date I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and my love for you burned ever brighter, even as your own light faded.”
In his sweet message to his wife, he added: “Sleep easy my girl, I hope you know that Maddie and I are in the best possible place to continue healing. She is every inch your daughter and you would be so proud of the remarkable young woman she is becoming. Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”
Fans were left heartbroken by Gareth’s beautiful tribute as many commented with heart emojis and described his words as “beautiful”. A person said: “You are doing her proud.” Another wrote that after Mel’s death, they discovered a tumour they didn’t know about.
They wrote: “After the devastating news of lovely Mel. I went to the GP about something I thought was nothing for weeks but best have checked hearing about Mel. I was found to have a 5cm tumour in my bowel. I would not have still known about that now. As I embark this journey just had surgery 5 weeks ago, I think about Mel a lot and how she has helped me. God bless to you both.”
The MAFS star passed away days after she told fans her “light was fading” and she did not know how long she had left to live after revealing her cancer has spread to her brain. The relationship expert had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023 after experiencing severe stomach pain initially mistaken for constipation.
She underwent surgery to remove a tumour and endured 16 gruelling rounds of chemotherapy. Throughout her illness, she continued to travel between continents and film MAFS, receiving praise from colleagues for her extraordinary resilience.
The tragic news of her death was shared by Mel’s husband in a statement which began: “Melanie Jane Brisbane-Schilling passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love.” He praised Mel for her bravery and compassion, saying she never complained about her pain and continued to film the dating show while undergoing rounds of chemotherapy.
Sharing his last goodbye with his wife, Gareth said: “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.”
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