Loi74-Her small family, her greatest strength in Mel Schilling’s final days.

Married at First Sight U.K. host Mel Schilling married Gareth Brisbane in 2018
The pair share one daughter, Maddie
Brisbane announced Schilling’s death on March 24, nearly one week after she revealed her terminal cancer diagnosis
Mel Schilling’s family is honoring her legacy after her death at 54 years old.

The Married at First Sight U.K. and Australia host met her husband, Gareth Brisbane, online in 2011. The couple got married in 2018, a few years after welcoming their daughter Maddie.

Nearly two weeks after the television personality revealed her terminal cancer diagnosis, Brisbane announced Schilling’s death on her Instagram on March 24, writing that she “passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love.”

“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,” Brisbane wrote. “It took all of her remaining strength … Even then, her only thought was for Maddie and me.”

Here’s everything to know about Mel Schilling’s family.

Schilling and Brisbane met on a dating website

Schilling told OK! in August 2021 that she and Brisbane, who runs an online betting business, met on the dating website eharmony.

“I was single for my entire thirties. I wasn’t interested in anyone. I was busy travelling the world, working overseas, I was all about building my business and just living a great life,” she said. “And so we were both nearly 40 when we met, and he just turned my world upside down. I was not expecting that!”

The dating expert wrote on Instagram in July 2025 that she and Brisbane had spent “14 years as soul mates” at that time.

“I don’t believe in luck 🍀 but we finally found the partners we both deserve,” she wrote.

She said long distance was “pivotal in the success” of her and Brisbane’s relationship

Schilling told OK! that Brisbane is from Whitehead in Northern Ireland. However, when they met, he was living in Adelaide, Australia, while she was located in Melbourne, Australia.

“We did long distance for six weeks, which was really pivotal in the success of our relationship, because we didn’t physically meet for those six weeks, but we were communicating every day,” she said. “And it was mostly email and next – I couldn’t talk to him on the phone at first, because I couldn’t understand his accent!”

Schilling went on to call their digital communication a “throwback to that retro style of dating,” noting that it “felt like that was a great way to build a solid foundation for a relationship before you complicate it with chemistry and sex.”

They got married in 2018

Schilling and Brisbane wed in July 2018, as she shared on Instagram seven years later.

In July 2024, Schilling marked their anniversary by sharing photos from their wedding in Bali, Indonesia, on instagram thanking her husband for “being by my side for every crazy moment, my true partner in every sense.”

“The last year has put us to the test in so many ways & you just keep showing up, surprising me & holding me through it all,” she continued. “Your strength and vulnerability are inspiring – thank you for choosing me G 💋.”

Their daughter Maddie was born in 2014

Schilling became a mom in November 2014 when she and Brisbane welcomed Maddie, per her Instagram.

In May 2024, Schilling shared a photo with her daughter on Instagram, captioned, “A moment of appreciation for my beautiful girl Maddie – I love you so much & feel so grateful every day that you chose us as your parents 👯‍♀️.”

The television host had shared several more glimpses of motherhood on social media, from ice cream dates in London to family vacations in Salzburg, Austria.

Schilling also shared on Instagram that Maddie has begun acting in a local stage production.

Her husband is remembering her as an “incredible mum” and “role model” after her March 2026 death

Brisbane announced Schilling’s death on Instagram on March 24 alongside a heartfelt caption honoring her legacy.

“This is a woman who became a new mum and a TV star at 42 — and nailed both,” the caption read. “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 went on to write that while she was “matriarch of MAFS and queen of reality TV” to most of the world, she was “an incredible mum, role model, and soulmate” to him and Maddie.

“I had 15 wonderful years with my soulmate, and it was the privilege of my life to be by her side. For that, I will be forever thankful,” the post continued.