00:00Beloved Married at First Sight expert Mel Schilling has died at the age of 54 after a long battle with
00:06cancer.
00:07Husband Gareth Brisbane shared the devastating news to followers on Instagram, saying,
00:12In her final moments, when I thought cancer had taken away her ability to speak, she ushered me closer and
00:19whispered a message for Maddie and me that will sustain me for the rest of my life, he wrote in
00:24a post on Instagram.
00:25It took all of her remaining strength, and that gesture summed up our wee Melzi perfectly.
00:31Even then, her only thought was for Maddie and me.
00:35Schilling was first diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023 and announced her terminal diagnosis in March 2026, saying her
00:45cancer had spread to her brain.
00:47The TV presenter continued work on the Channel 9 reality show, even while she was in the depths of chemotherapy.
00:54Her husband said,
00:55This is a woman who, through two years of chemotherapy, when she could barely lift her head from the pillow,
01:02never complained and never stopped showing courage, grace, compassion and empathy, and never missed a day of filming.
01:10To most of you, she was Mel Schilling, matriarch of maths and queen of reality TV.
01:16To Maddie and me, she was our wee Melzi, an incredible mum, role model and soulmate.
01:28To Maddie and me, she was a famous reporter, I believe it.
01:28She's the one who's a close friend, I believe it.
01:29She's the one who's a close friend, her mother has been Almighty, she's a close friend, my sister, the nurse,
01:29and her friend, and her sister, and I believe it.
01:30Can I, if you get into it, she's a close friend, she's a close friend.
01:31I believe it can be a white man.
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