Married at First Sight Australia expert Mel Schilling has revealed how she explained her cancer diagnosis to her daughter, Maddie.
The 52-year-old announced in late 2023 that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer after experiencing severe pain while filing the 11th season of the marriage experiment.
Mel has since undergone surgery to remove a tumour and is now undergoing chemotherapy, details of which she’s had to simplify for her daughter.
Chatting to OK! Magazine, she said Maddie has a “nine-year-old’s version” of what cancer is and what it means.
According to the TV expert, her daughter understands she’s unwell to a certain degree.
“She knows I’m having chemo and she knows that when I have an infusion I’ll be tired and need extra cuddles, which she is there for,” Mel said.
“She understands it in her own way.”
Mel Schilling calls husband her “rock” amid cancer battle
Mel, who is also an expert on MAFS UK, added that her husband, Gareth Brisbane, has been her “rock while she undergoes cancer treatment.
“He’s gone through his own tough year as he’s had grief in his life, but has still been there for me,” she admitted.
It comes after Mel reflected on the past six months, confessing that her treatment is “getting tough now”.
“I’m about halfway through and it’s getting hard,” she told The Mirror.
“Feeling fatigued and nauseous is a bigger part of my everyday life. It feels like I’m hungover or pregnant every day, which is not fun.”
Despite the toll her diagnosis and subsequent treatment are taking, Mel remains determined with the support of her family.
The trio recently settled permanently in South West London, with the mum-of-one dishing she started chemotherapy on the same day they moved house.
“In true ‘me’ fashion, the day we moved was the day I started chemotherapy,” she told the outlet.
“I don’t do things by halves.”
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