Beloved Married At First Sight personality Mel Schilling has died aged 54 following a battle with cancer.
The popular dating coach, psychologist and TV presenter was first diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023.
Just weeks ago, Schilling revealed the illness she had been battling had returned.
On Tuesday evening, her husband Gareth confirmed she had passed in a candid social media post shared from her account. The couple share daughter Maddie.
“Melanie Jane Brisbane-Schilling passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love,” it read.
“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.”
Gareth reflected on his wife’s ability launch into a new career, and become a mother, later in life than most.
“This is a woman who became a new mum and a TV star at 42 — and nailed both,” he continued.
“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.
More to come.