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Beloved Aussie media personality and Married At First Sight Australia expert Mel Schilling has sadly passed away at the age of 54, following a brave cancer battle.
Her husband, Gareth, made a statement that was shared on her Instagram account to deliver the sad news.
“Melanie Jane Brisbane-Schilling passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love,” he wrote.
“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.”
“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.”
Mel Schilling’s word of wisdom during cancer battle
Mel Schilling’s death comes shortly after revealing on March 13, 2026, that her colon cancer diagnosis had spread to her brain.
She had revealed the previous year, in February 2025, that she was entering remission for her Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis. However, her health had since taken a devastating turn.
In the heartfelt post to social media on March 13, 2026, she wrote: “My oncology team have now told me there is nothing further they can do. Hearing those words changes everything.”
“But I am still here, still fighting, and surrounded by the most incredible love. Simple tasks have become incredibly difficult and I am relying on my beautiful family to look after me.”
While expressing gratitude for being “surrounded” by the “love and support of [her] people,” Mel also admits that she “honestly [doesn’t] know how long [she has] left.”
However, during this heartbreaking cancer battle, Mel still took the time to leave a powerful message to her fans, sharing her story so that others can be saved.
“If I could leave you with one thing, it would simply be this,” she said. “If something doesn’t feel right, please get it checked out. It might just save your life.”
It’s this determination of Mel’s character that has come up time and time again in the tributes made by her loved ones.
Touching tributes flood in for Mel Schilling
Since Mel Schilling’s passing last night, on Tuesday, March 24, there has been an outpour of emotional tributes to the mother-of-one. Australian TV personalities and UK stars were amongst those paying their respects and kind words to the MAFS expert.
Her fellow MAFS expert John Aiken wrote on Facebook alongside a photo of the pair: “I am heartbroken, devastated and finding it hard to breathe.”
“She came into my life 10 years ago and together we rode this @mafs juggernaut, being there for one another through it all. Nothing could prepare us for what lay ahead, but she was always in the fox hole with me.”
John also spoke of what “an inspiration, a fighter, a leader” Mel was “when her illness struck.” He went on to say that it was “a privilege and an honour to sit beside her on the MAFS couch and watch her shine”, and spoke fondly of their memories together.
“”Every time I came to set she would squeal, jump out of her chair and run and embrace me – squeezing me tight,” he said. “It’s not fair that my partner in crime is gone. She was one of the good ones. I am unravelling just thinking about it.”
Today Extra co-host David Campbell also wrote his condolences, remembering Mel as a “great human” and Nine’s Deborah Knight wrote in a social media announcement of her passing that Mel “was divine and lives on in Maddie.”
Australian singer and 2026 Eurovision contestant Delta Goodrem wrote on social media: “So heartbreaking! I’m So sorry!! Sending so much love.” Elle Ferguson also wrote that she was “so sorry for [their] loss.”
Other MAFS personalities like Lucinda Light also shared their sadness on social media, writing that “it’s hard to put into words how sad this is.” Tayah Aveling, who met her husband Adam on the UK version of the programme wrote that the news was “devastating” and that she was “absolutely heartbroken.”
MAFS UK co-star Charlene Douglas also expressed that she was “both devastated and heartbroken to hear of the passing of my Mafs queen and friend Mel.,” sharing a series of beautiful videos and photos of the pair together.
“Mel’s love for life, jokes and of course dancing will forever stay in my heart,” she wrote. “What I wouldn’t give to be dancing to Beyoncé with you right now.
“Sleep in perfect peace Mel. Love you.”
Elizabeth Day, who co-hosted the How To Date podcast with Schilling wrote: “What a woman. What a radiant, shining light.”
“”How grateful I am to have known her. How grateful I am to you, Gaz, and to Maddie for being the loves of her life. I love you all so much.
“Thank you for the gift of your friendship. And thank you most of all to Mel. Our girl.”
Who was Mel Schilling?
Mel Schilling had been a core part of the Married At First Sight Australia team since 2016, before also finding a home in the UK version of the reality series.
Before her role on the show catapulted her into fame, she was a qualified behavioural specialist and dating coach, spending years helping singles and couples understand patterns, communication styles and emotional blind spots.
Mel was born in Melbourne and was the daughter of parents Paul and Beth Schilling. She has a sister named Rebecca Atkinson.
Away from all the MAFS drama, Schilling had a quiet life in the UK where she lived with her husband, Gareth Brisbane, and their young daughter, Maddie.
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