The global MAFS family were dealt a devastating blow on Tuesday following the tragic death of .
Mel, best known for her work as a relationship expert on the UK and Australian versions of Married At First Sight, was a favourite among viewers and contestants alike - known for her warm yet no-nonsense approach to matchmaking.
So tributes poured out from around the world when her beloved husband Gareth announced she had succumbed to her battle with colon at the age of 54.
Mel quickly became an established figure on the UK dating show scene - despite only becoming known to British audiences five years ago.
The Melbourne-born dating guru was known in her native country for her work on but was parachuted onto the British version in 2021 in a bid to shake up the flailing franchise.
In 2021, E4 announced a shakeup to the traditional format, revealing they would be switching to the explosive format of the show Down Under in a bid to attract a larger and younger audience.
Mel was drafted in to work alongside Celebs Go Dating guru Paul C. Brunson and sexpert Charlene Douglas for the new series, which appealed to a broader audience by scrapping the legal aspect of the marriage upon the first sight - instead just asking the couples to make a symbolic lifelong commitment to one another.
How Australian dating expert Mel Schilling became a household name in the UK after dedicating herself to helping others find love (pictured with fellow MAFS UK experts Paul C Brunson and Charlene Douglas)
While Mel was one of three experts on MAFS Australia - alongside Alessandra Rampolla and John Aiken - it was her who was picked to take on the UK version
The revamp to the Australian format also saw the couples attend weekly dinner parties and take part in recurring commitment ceremonies, where they will choose whether they want to stay in or leave the process.
While Mel was one of three experts on MAFS Australia - alongside John Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla - it was her who was picked to take on the UK version, having been a hit with viewers when MAFS Aus was aired in Britain during lockdown.
She said of her appointment at the time: 'Being a part of the Australian experiment for seven seasons has taught me so much about love, marriage, relationships (and conflict) and I can't wait to share my advice and insight with you all.
'I have been overwhelmed by the UK response to the Australian version on E4 and have been humbled by all the beautiful messages of support from the UK fans of the show.
'I am really looking forward to joining forces with Paul C. Brunson (as I'm a huge fan of Celebs Go Dating!) and together I know we are set to shake up the UK conversation about matters of the heart - I just hope I can decipher all those different accents!'
It was no surprise that Mel was a hit with viewers, having dedicated her life to helping others find love as a qualified behavioural specialist and dating coach.
Mel had a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology as well as a Graduate Diploma in Psychology, working as a practising psychologist for two decades before being chosen for MAFS.
The mother-of-one, who had a net worth of £1million, also briefly worked as an actress, gaining an unexpected credit in Neighbours and procedural cop show, Blue Heelers which ran from 1993 to 2006.
But while her professional life on TV was centred around helping others to find love, she experienced her own fair share of dating woes before finding her happily ever after with her 'soulmate' Gareth .
She spent her 30s navigating the pitfalls of dating and previously said at that time she 'made lots of mistakes so my clients don't have to'.
Mel spoke to Metro in 2023 of that time, saying: 'As a single woman, I had built up some walls of self-protection.
'You know the ones; the barriers that you believe keep you safe from the outside world. From playing hard to get, being quite harsh when people show you attention, cutting them off before they hurt you or playing the role of the unavailable, unattainable, unreachable enigma.
'I was casually dating, but only half-heartedly. I dated the Man Child, the Commitmentphobe, the Class Clown – the dating archetypes we've all encountered.
'I told myself that I wasn't interested in a relationship and everything about my manner represented this.'
She went on to explain that after some self-reflection she realised she needed to change her approach and became more herself when dating.
Mel then began to 'attract a different calibre of man' - eventually meeting Gareth who she says made her feel like 'everything just clicked'.
She described him as her 'equal' and someone she could be 'vulnerable' with when they met.
Awkward! Married At First Sight 'expert' Mel Schilling has been exposed as a secret ACTRESS who once had a role on Neighbours (pictured)
After meeting later in life, the pair held a 'commitment ceremony' in Bali when she was 40, officially marrying two years later and becoming parents to daughter Maddie when Mel turned to following a devastating miscarriage.
She previously said: 'I was single for my entire thirties. I wasn't interested in anyone. I was busy travelling the world, working overseas, I was all about building my business and just living a great life.
'And so we were both nearly 40 when we met, and he just turned my world upside down. I was not expecting that! We met on [dating website] eHarmony. He's from Whitehead in Northern Ireland, but he was living in Adelaide, and I was in Melbourne.'
She added to OK! magazine: 'We did long distance for six weeks, which was really pivotal in the success of our relationship, because we didn't physically meet for those six weeks, but we were communicating every day.'
She added that once they met, things moved very quickly and they soon decided they wanted to have children.
Mel then sadly had a miscarriage at 12 weeks of pregnancy which she has previously described as a 'very tough experience'.
They then had Maddie via IVF, with Mel describing parenthood as an 'adventure'. The family then lived in Melbourne and Bali before moving to the UK.
Maddie was present when the couple held their official wedding ceremony in Melbourne, in December 2020.
Mel said she was overcome with emotion on the day, and shed tears of happiness.
'It's just the meaning of it all. I was a late bloomer in life, like, I didn’t meet my husband [Gareth, 48] until I was nearly 40 and then we had our daughter Madison, 6, when I was nearly 42, so to be finally saying our "I dos" was an emotional time. It was very special,' she said.
'Our commitment ceremony in Bali felt more like a wedding and our actual wedding felt more like a commitment ceremony, but that’s OK. We decided to make things official because Gareth and I were so keen to finish 2020 off on a positive note.
The wedding was capped at six people in total, with the family of three joined by two witnesses and a celebrant.
Gareth was by Mel's side when she died on Tuesday just days after revealing her cancer had spread to her brain.
The dating expert was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023.
After meeting later in life, Mel married husband Gareth at the age of 42, with the pair becoming parents to daughter Maddie when Mel turned to IVF following a devastating miscarriage
Mel first revealed that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023, and she had to have surgery to remove a 5cm tumour
Sharing a photo with her husband Gareth and daughter Madison, 10, Mel's full statement read: 'In December 2023 I was diagnosed with colon cancer after a tumour the size of a lemon was discovered during a scan. 'Terry,' as I called him, was successfully removed and I was initially given the all clear — that much many of you already know.
