The little girl misses her mother terribly; Mel Schilling’s daughter still hasn’t accepted the fact that her mother is no longer here.
Married At First Sight expert Mel Schilling has shared how she explained her colon cancer diagnosis to her nine-year-old daughter Maddie.
In a recent interview with Britain’s OK! magazine, Mel, who is an expert on both MAFS Australia and MAFS UK, explained that Maddie has “a nine-year-old’s version” of understanding what cancer is and its implications.
Mel Schilling made in her final years has been revealed, following her tragic death on Tuesday aged 54, after a long battle with bowel cancer.
She also praised her partner Gareth Brisbane, describing him as her “rock” through the difficult times.
“He’s gone through his own tough year as he’s had grief in his life, but has still been there for me,” she said.
It comes after Mel posted a series of photos showing the duality of her life as she continued to work while undergoing her sixth of eight chemotherapy cycles.
“THIS IS ME – for every moment of energy & vibrancy you see there’s an equal and opposite moment of fatigue & discomfort,” she wrote.
Mel said she regularly reminded herself that this chapter “is just that – one chapter in my life”.
“It’s temporary and will pass. I know I have other, probably challenging chapters ahead, but they are not for today.
“Self compassion is one of my biggest lessons – I’m learning to cut myself some slack, allow the rest my body craves and to be kind to myself when I can’t be my usual ‘100 per cent energy Mel’.”
She previously explained going through chemotherapy “feels like being hungover” on UK radio station Magic Radio in April 2024.
Mel first shared her cancer diagnosis in December 2023.
She’s since had the tumour removed and in January told 9Entertainment she was thrilled to be well enough to film the latest season of MAFS UK.
“I wasn’t sure how things were going to go, so for me it was such a joy to be well enough and strong enough to be there straight away,” she said.
Just two weeks earlier, she had revealed her cancer had spread to her brain.
In an Instagram post, Schilling’s husband Gareth confirmed the tragic news, paying tribute to his soulmate the mother of their daughter Maddie, 11.
He revealed his wife ushered him closer in her final moments – when he thought the cancer had taken away her ability to speak – and whispered a message for their daughter that he said would “sustain me for the rest of my life”.
RIP Mel Schilling