Featured Image Credit: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Instagram, Cancer, Colon cancer
Lucy Devine
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Instagram, Cancer, Colon cancer
Mel Schilling's husband has issued a statement about his wife's passing, one month on from the TV star's death.
Mel, 52, passed away last month after a battle with cancer. The Married at First Sight star was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023, before later discovering the cancer had later spread to her lungs.
After going through 16 rounds of chemotherapy all the while filming the dating show, Mel started suffering from headaches and numbness. She was told by doctors that the cancer had spread to her brain and that there was nothing else they could do.
Mel sadly passed away in March, with her husband Gareth confirming the news with a statement on Instagram.
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He wrote: "Melanie Jane Brisbane-Schilling 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. It took all of her remaining strength, and that gesture summed up our wee Melsie perfectly."
Around one month on from Mel's death and Gareth took to social media on Saturday (April 25) to share an update with fans, who have been sending an outpouring of love and support since the sad news was announced.
He explained that the family had laid Mel to rest earlier this month, and that he and Maddie - Mel's daughter - would soon be relocating to Bali.
"Hey everyone.
"Thanks so much for all the messages of support over the past month since our girl’s passing, Maddie and I have drawn enormous strength from how so very loved she was and is.
"We laid Mel to rest on the 9th April. It was a lovely private ceremony for family and close friends which we streamed to Mel’s family in Oz. Maddie announced on the morning of the funeral that she had written a little speech which she delivered beautifully. Every inch her mother’s daughter and I couldn’t be prouder.
"Last weekend we scattered some of Mels ashes at the lighthouse in my hometown of Whitehead, Northern Ireland as was her wish. It’s a special place that really resonated with her, a place where strangers say hello as you pass, and a place we can now come back to to reflect on our incredible 15 years together.
"In a few short weeks Maddie and I will be welcomed back into the arms of mother Bali where we will begin our next chapter. No better place to heal, a place that we all loved and where we still have some of our dearest friends who had the most wonderful blessing ceremony for Mel at our new villa last weekend.
"The photo of Mel in white is what we chose as her funeral photo. Equal parts glam, warmth and vulnerability which was her all over. Love and light to you all."
Alongside the post, Gareth shared a number of images, including one of Mel at the lighthouse in Northern Ireland, as well as some other images of Mel and a photo which appears to be taken from the blessing ceremony in Bali.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].