Relationship expert and Married at First Sight star Mel Schilling has shared the heartwrenching news that she has terminal cancer, following almost two years of treatment. After sharing her cancer diagnosis back in 2023, she took to Instagram to explain that her oncology team have told her "there is nothing further they can do".
"In December 2023 I was diagnosed with colon cancer after a tumour the size of a lemon was discovered during a scan. "Terry," as I called him, was successfully removed and I was initially given the all clear — that much many of you already know," she wrote. "Unfortunately, in late February 2024 during a routine scan, small nodules were discovered in my lungs. The cancer had metastasised."
She reflected that her "world changed again in an instant" and revealed that she underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy, all whilst filming MAFS. Her "optimism soared" when she was later told she was eligible for a "groundbreaking clinical trial" that was due to start this month.
Mel explained, "Over Christmas, however, I began experiencing blinding headaches and numbness down my right side. 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."
The magnitude and devastation of these words is something many families will sadly be able to relate to and Mel added that her "light is starting to fade - and quickly", though she’s still fighting and surrounded by love.
"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," she said, before expressing gratitude from the "bottom of [her] heart" for everyone’s messages.
Her post is poignant and powerful in equal measure and Mel Schilling chose to end her caption with an important piece of advice that she urged others to head.
"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," she declared.
This will resonate with so many and it’s incredible that Mel is using her global platform to do all she can to raise awareness and help others, even whilst she faces one of the darkest times of her own life. The Australian-born psychologist-turned-TV host and expert also reiterated that her husband Gareth and daughter Maddie are "everything" and they appeared alongside her in the photo she shared alongside her message.
Their love and support will be invaluable to her and fans have also flooded the comments with their own responses. Channel 4, who airs MAFS in the UK, described her as a "hugely valued and much-loved" part of their family, who is a friend as well as a colleague to so many.
"Her wisdom, warmth, humour and kindness shine through, and these qualities mean that everyone involved in MAFS, from the producers and contributors, to the viewers, love and respect her as much as we do," they added.
Before making her terminal cancer diagnosis public, Mel Schilling had announced she was stepping back from the Australian version of MAFS to prioritise her family and her health. She had been an integral part of the hit show since 2016, sharing her dating and relationship wisdom as a qualified specialist in human behavioral performance.
