It is with sadness we announce that Mel Schilling, favourite psychologist from Australia has passed away. Schilling was loved for her straight talk regarding relationships on Married At First Sight Australia and UK. Schilling died on March 24, 2026, at age 54, surrounded by her family in the UK. Many loved her husband Gareth Brisbane, who posted on social media, saying Mel was the “Queen of Reality TV and Matriarch of MAFS.”
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Melanie Jane “Mel” Schilling |
| Born | 1972, Melbourne, Australia (age 54 at passing) |
| Died | March 24, 2026, London, United Kingdom |
| Cause of Death | Bowel cancer (colon cancer) – diagnosed December 2023; spread to lungs and brain despite surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy |
| Profession | Psychologist, Relationship Expert, Television Personality |
| Famous For | Relationship expert on Married at First Sight Australia (2016–2025) and UK version; known for honest, warm and no-nonsense advice |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Graduate Diploma in Psychology |
| Family | Husband: Gareth Brisbane (married 2018); Daughter: Madison “Maddie” Brisbane (born 2015); Parents: Paul & Beth Schilling; Sister: Rebecca Atkinson |
| Net Worth (est.) | Approximately £1 million (AUD 2 million / USD 1.3 million) – from TV work, psychology career, speaking engagements and endorsements |
| Lifestyle | Family-oriented; split time between Australia and UK; down-to-earth, focused on raising daughter and raising bowel cancer awareness in final years |
| Social Media Links | |
| @mel_schilling1 – Verified official account (family statement and tributes posted here) | |
| Search “Mel Schilling” or official MAFS pages – family and show tributes | |
| X (Twitter) | Search #MelSchilling or #RIPMelSchilling – trending with condolences |
| YouTube | No personal channel; search “Mel Schilling MAFS” for interviews, expert segments, and tribute videos on news and fan channels |
| Other | Husband Gareth Brisbane also posts updates on Instagram |
Just two weeks ago Mel recorded a video telling her followers that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer and that it had metastasized to her brain. She said there was nothing that could be done. For the last two years she has posted updates on her social media. Her posts have shown great courage and have been an inspiration. She has brought awareness to the disease and encouraged people to be screened for bowel cancer.
Life and Career Before Fame
Mel Schilling, then known as Melanie Jane Schilling, was born in 1972 in Melbourne, Australia. From a young age, Mel had a keen interest in the study of human behaviour. She went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology, and then worked as a practicing psychologist for over twenty years. Prior to becoming a reality TV star, she did corporate consulting and had some small roles in Australian TV shows like Neighbours and Blue Heelers.
In 2016, Mel got a major opportunity when she became part of the expert panel for Married At First Sight Australia. Because of her candid constructive criticism and a lot of sincere compassion, Mel became a large audience/ viewer favourite. She subsequently performed the same role on the UK version of the show, where she assisted participants in the marriage-by-stranger social experiment. After 12 seasons on the Australian version, Mel became one of the most recognizable people on reality TV.
Final Months and Cancer Battle
In December 2023, Mel received her diagnosis for colon cancer one month after doctors located a tumor the size of a lemon located within her colon. After undergoing a successful tumor-removing surgery, Mel received an initial ‘all clear’ from doctors. However, the verdict would worsen during a routine follow-up appointment in early 2024 when physicians disclosed the alarming finding of cancer that had spread to her lung(s). Alongside her filming of MAFS Mel received some of the most aggressive chemotherapy treatment available, a full chemotherapy cycle comprising 16 weeks, which is a testament to the fortitude and resilience displayed by Mel throughout the filming process. Mel would stop at nothing to continue her filming and chemotherapy appointment schedules, proving that nothing would stop Mel from doing what she loved.
In early and late 2025, Mel would experience debilitating, life-altering migraines, and would begin to complain of severe numbness on her right side. Further examination revealed the cancer had spread to her brain and left-sided cerebral hemispheres. On the 12th day of March in the year 2020, Mel would post an Instagram post that would receive widespread notoriety. In the picture, she is shown with her husband and her daughter, and she is visibly distressed and is heard speaking softly and solemnly. In the accompanying text, she explained that she had been informed by her doctors of the grim reality that there were no longer any potentially-life-saving therapy options available to her. In the text, she turned the situation into a very encouraging public service announcement about the importance of having scheduled health-related procedures and checking up on oneself to promote early cancer detection, and use of preventative strategies.
Personal Life and Family
Around 2010, Mel found her husband, Gareth Brisbane, a businessman from Northern Ireland, on the dating site eHarmony. They took a few more years to get married at a beautiful wedding in Bali in 2018. Mel and Gareth had their daughter, Madison, a few years after they got married and, after Mel had a miscarriage, they had Madison through IVF in November 2015. Maddie was just 10 years old when her mother passed.
Mel would often say how much Maddie and Gareth meant to her. Lately, the family had been living in the UK while she was shooting the UK version of MAFS. Mel was very open about the difficulties of having a baby at 42 and the challenges that come with having a high profile career and then having to take on the responsibilities of a family. Mel’s tribute from Gareth spoke of the love, strength, and courage that she showed in her darkest days of battling with her illness.
Net Worth & Lifestyle
Mel Schilling is estimated to be worth 1 million pounds/ 1.3 million dollars, based off of her long-running role on MAFS, her work as a corporate psychologist, her work as a public speaker, and her work in branding and sponsorships. Even with her financial and career accomplishments, Schilling lived a Lifestyle that was much more grounded and focused more on family and traveling rather than the Lifestyle of a flashy celebrity. She and Gareth had a great family bond and they often posted simple moments with Maddie on social media.
In the later years of her life, Mel Schilling focused her time on advocacy and quality time with her husband and daughter. She remained extremely exhausted from the chemotherapy treatment, but was able to keep a positive attitude and continued to advocate and use her voice for the cause.
Tributes and Legacy
Mel Schilling’s great legacy as a cancer advocate and relationship expert Schilling had many social media tributes from MAFS show contestants and fellows, phrasing her for her bravery, kindness and wisdom. Schilling’s advocacy work and social media posts helped destigmatize bowel cancer and helped to encourage people to get their symptoms checked. Schilling was able to destigmatize the early detection of bowel cancer and to the advocate many people to seek cancer the advocacy work. Schilling’s posts and advocacy work helped destigmatize bowel cancer and helped to encourage people to get their symptoms checked.
schilling was able to create many social media posts that spoke about her advocacy work. The advocacy work helped destigmatize the early check post and helped to encourage people to get their symptoms checked. Schilling’s advocacy work and social media posts helped destigmatize bowel cancer and helped to encourage people to get their symptoms checked.
There has been an outpouring of both love and memories across social media.
Instagram: Tribute posts have been created for Mel and Gareth’s announcement post has even received over 100k likes and comments. Mel’s official account is @mel_schilling1. To find more, search for the hashtags #RIPMelSchilling or #MelSchilling.
Facebook: Pages married at first sight news like accounts at first sight and news pages like 9news, ITV news have posted and thousands of people reacted.
X (Twitter): MelSchilling and MAFS have been hashtags and users have posted about the moments from the show and advocates.
YouTube: The cancer awareness videos, the best MAFS advice videos, and the interviews have all been viewed again, and the news outlets and fan tribute channels have montages.
Mel Schilling was more than an author on television. She was a psychologist with concern. She was a mother and a wife who fought with dignity. She fought for a cause when she turned her personal battle into a public one. Her voice was a strong voice for many, and in her last battle, she called the public to understand the cause of the battle.
Rest in peace Mel honest, strong and warm person touched many lives. Wee Melsie will always be remembered. 💙