Married At First Sight expert Mel Schilling has announced she has terminal cancer, just weeks after stepping away from the show for health reasons. The 54-year-old psychologist shared the news on Instagram on Friday, revealing that doctors have exhausted all treatment options after nearly two years of battling the disease.
Schilling was first diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023 after a lemon-sized tumour was discovered. It was successfully removed, and she was given the all-clear. However, months later, the cancer returned in her lungs. Over the past two years, she underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy while filming MAFS and was later told she was eligible for a clinical trial set to begin in March 2026.
Over Christmas, Schilling began experiencing blinding headaches and numbness down her right side. Tests revealed the cancer had spread to the left side of her brain. Despite radiotherapy, her oncology team informed her there was nothing further they could do. “Hearing those words changes everything,” she wrote. “My light is starting to fade – and quickly. But I am still here, still fighting.”
Schilling thanked fans for their support and urged others to seek medical advice if something feels wrong. “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.”
Nine Entertainment, the network behind MAFS, expressed deep sadness at the news, calling Schilling “a woman of extraordinary depth, kindness, and an unshakeable spirit.”
