Mel Schilling, known for her long-standing role as relationship expert on reality show Married at First Sight, has announced that her cancer has spread to the left side of her brain and her “light is fading”.
In February this year, Schilling first revealed her “health challenges” when she stepped down from MAFS, after 12 years on the show’s panel, to prioritise her family.
In an Instagram post on Friday, Schilling, 54, shared that she was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023 and has since had further health complications.
When she was first diagnosed, she said she was told the tumour was the size of a lemon and had been successfully removed in a surgery.
“Unfortunately, in late February 2024 during a routine scan, small nodules were discovered in my lungs. The cancer had metastasised and my world changed again in an instant,” Schilling wrote, adding that, over the past two years, she has undergone 16 rounds of chemotherapy, before being told she was eligible for a “groundbreaking clinical trial specific to my gene type, due to start in March 2026”.
Schilling said the prospect filled her with hope, however, since then, her oncology team has told her “there is nothing further they can do” as the cancer had spread to the left side of her brain.
“Hearing those words changes everything,” writes Schilling.
“So that’s where I am now. My light is starting to fade — and quickly. 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. 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.”
To those who have reached out with messages of support, Schilling said it meant more to her than she could “ever properly express”, adding that the encouragement and love has “helped shape the mindset [she] needed to keep fighting”.
“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.”
The post also shows a loving picture of Schilling with her husband and daughter, who she says are her “everything”.
The network for MAFs, Nine said in a statement that they were “deeply saddened” by the news shared by Schilling, describing her as a “woman of extraordinary depth, kindness, and an unshakeable spirit”.
“Mel’s honesty and her ability to face life’s hardest moments with such strength and openness is something we admire,” the statement said. “She isn’t just a colleague; she is family. Our thoughts, love, and strength are with Mel, her husband Gareth, and her daughter Maddie during this incredibly difficult time. Mel, we are all behind you.”