There’s been an outpouring of emotional tributes to Mel Schilling following news of her death, aged 54, following a battle with cancer.
Australian TV personalities and UK pop stars were among those paying tribute to the Married at First Sight expert, who appeared on both the Aussie and British versions of the reality TV series.
Schilling’s Married at First Sight family were among those paying tributes following news of the shock development, which came just 11 days after the psychologist told fans the cancer had spread to her brain and there was “nothing further they can do”.
“I am heartbroken, devastated and finding it hard to breathe,” fellow MAFS expert John Aiken wrote alongside photos of the pair.
“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.”
Aiken said “when her illness struck she never complained” and said Schilling was “an inspiration, a fighter, a leader” and he was in awe at how she “continued to deliver time and time again” despite the fight for her life.
The MAFS relationship expert labelled it “a privilege and an honour to sit beside her on the MAFS couch and watch her shine”.
In the lengthy statement he added that Schilling “deeply cared about all our participants” and marvelled at her “her remarkable skills”.
“Behind the scenes we had so much fun,” Aiken recalled.
“Before going on set we would sing, dance, face time her daughter and eat lollies.
“Every time I came to set she would squeal, jump out of her chair and run and embrace me – squeezing me tight … 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 remembered Schilling as “a great human” and sent his condolences to her husband Gareth Brisbane and 10-year-old daughter Maddie.
“Mel was divine and lives on in Maddie,” Nine’s Deborah Knight said in a comment on the social media announcement of her passing earlier today.
“I’m so sorry for you both and all who loved her.”
Former reality TV personality Michelle Bridges offered similar words of reflection to Schilling’s family.
“Vale, beautiful Mel,” she wrote. “Gone far too soon, but never forgotten. Your light will stay with us always.”
Karl Stefanovic’s wife, Jasmine, labelled the news “absolutely heartbreaking”, while Nine News presenter Natalia Cooper called the announcement “the saddest news”.
Fellow MAFS personality Lucinda Light also shared a message on social media, saying “it’s hard to put into words how sad this is”.
“RIP divine lady~ you’ll be incredibly missed from planet earth,” she wrote.
British popstar Sophie Ellis-Bextor said though she hadn’t known the popular TV personality, she still felt the loss keenly.
“I never met Mel, but I always thought she came across so well and spoke a lot of sense,” she wrote.
“Sending love to all who knew her and will endeavour to appreciate the days I have and honour her memory.”
Similarly, former All Saints singer Nicole Appleton said she was “absolutely devastated to hear this news”.
“God bless your precious Mel,” she also noted. “I’m sending so much love from all my family to yours.”
Schilling’s podcast partner Elizabeth Day shared a comment on the post announcing her death.
“What a woman,” Day began.
“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 [love heart emoji] Our girl.”
Day, who worked alongside Schilling on How to Date, also added a lengthy tribute on her own social media pages, in the way of text photos alongside a flashback photo of them together.
In December 2023, Schilling first shared she’d been diagnosed with colon cancer.
She spent much of 2024 undergoing chemotherapy and treatment while also shooting both MAFS UK and Australia back-to-back.
Then, in mid-March 2026, two years after her initial diagnosis, Schilling revealed she’d received devastating news that she’d reached the end of the line with respect to treatment, after the disease had spread.
Brisbane announced the news of his wife’s death and described Schilling as “an incredible mum, role model, and soulmate”.
“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.”
In the lengthy statement, he went on to praise that his wife became “a new mum and a TV star at 42 — and nailed both” and the brave way she faced cancer head-on in her early 50s.
“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 said.
“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.”