A doctor's health warnings outlining the early symptoms of bowel cancer have resurfaced following the sudden death of Married At First Sight host, Mel Schilling.
The TV personality, from Brisbane, died yesterday, just a few weeks after announcing that her bowel cancer had spread.
A statement shared by her husband, Gareth, on Instagram said she had died 'peacefully' and ‘surrounded by love'.
Speaking to Metro, Dr Robin Clark, medical director for Bupa Global and UK, has revealed the most common early symptoms of bowel cancer, and urged those experiencing them to get checked out by their doctor.
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One of the first signs to look out for is blood in the stool. "If you’ve had blood in your poo for no obvious reason, you should see your GP," he said.
"The blood can be bright or dark red on the surface or mixed in with the poo, or you may notice it in the toilet bowl. Occasionally, it can make your poo look black, like tar."
Persistent changes to bowel habits may also be an early sign of cancer. "This includes having to poo more or feeling like you haven’t fully emptied your bowel when you’ve been – your poo may be looser, or you may find it harder to go. If any of these changes last for three weeks or more, you should see your GP."
Additionally, abdominal pain after eating should also be investigated.
"Don’t put it off, as early diagnosis really does save lives," he said.
Other symptoms can include unexplained weight loss and extreme tiredness that has no obvious cause.
Schilling, an Australian-born former psychologist, was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023, after symptoms of constipation and tiredness were ignored.
After returning to the UK following MAFS filming, she was sent by her doctor for a scan, which identified a tumor in her bowel.
The tumor was surgically removed, and she was initially given the all-clear. However, things took a turn for the worse when, in February 2024, a routine scan revealed small nodules in her lungs, showing that the cancer had spread.
She underwent sixteen rounds of chemotherapy, all while filming the hit dating show, but sadly, her condition did not subside.
Early detection is crucial for increasing the chances of survival, experts have said.
According to Guts UK, 90 percent of cases are extremely treatable when caught early.
Sadly, in Schilling's case, key symptoms were overlooked by doctors since she didn't present one of the main symptoms - blood in the stool.
Instead, she endured months of painstaking stomach cramps, though doctors consistently put these down to constipation.
In 2023, she told Australian broadcaster ABC: "I was filming in Australia, I developed severe stomach cramps on set, I put it down to all the travel I'd been doing and the upset it caused to my system.
"I saw my GP in Sydney, and he put it down to constipation, gave me some laxatives, and sent me on my way.
"Fortunately, I knew something still wasn't right, so I booked in for a scan when I returned to the UK."
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.
Alice Wade