Mel Schilling, who appeared as a dating coach on the British and Australian versions of “Married at First Sight,” has died, her family announced. She was 54.
In one of her last social media posts earlier this month, Schilling revealed the colon cancer she’d been diagnosed with in 2023 could no longer be treated. The tumor, which was “the size of a lemon,” was discovered during a scan, she said. It was removed, but the disease later returned and spread to her lungs and brain.
On her Instagram page on Tuesday, March 24, her husband wrote that she passed away peacefully and surrounded by love. Schilling is also survived by her 10-year-old daughter, Madison.
“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,” her husband, Gareth Brisbane, wrote.
“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.”
He added that his wife became a new mom and a TV star at 42 “and nailed both.”
“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,” Brisbane wrote.
“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.”
Schilling’s colon cancer tumor, which she called “Terry,” was initially successfully removed, but the cancer returned and metastasized to her lungs, she revealed.
When she began experiencing headaches and numbness on her right side, tests showed the cancer had spread to the left side of her brain. Schilling said her oncology team told her “there is nothing further they can do.”
“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,” Schilling wrote.
Her colon cancer symptoms included severe stomach cramps, and Schilling was initially told she had constipation before a scan revealed the tumor, the BBC reported.
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