Who is MAFS Expert Mel Schilling? Age, net worth, health battle and husband revealed
20 March 2026, 16:14 | Updated: 24 March 2026, 12:29
Mel Schilling become a household name after rising to fame as an expert on Married At First Sight. Here's everything you need to know from her age, qualifications, husband and when she passed away.
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For the last twelve years, Mel Schilling has appeared as an expert on both the Australian and the UK version of the hit TV dating show, Married At First Sight.
Mel, a qualified relationship psychologist, first appeared on MAFS Australia back in 2016 on their second season, alongside John Aiken and Dr Trisha Stratford who, in recent years, was replaced by Alessandra Rampolla.
Following on from her success in Aus, she was appointed an expert on the UK version too in 2021 where she joined Paul C Brunson and Charlene Douglas.
Sadly, on March 24th, 2026 after a long battle with cancer, Mel passed away, leaving behind her daughter and husband who shared an emotional statement.
After becoming a showbiz personality in her own right, we take a closer look at Mel including her personal details such as age, her battle with cancer and her family.
Who is Mel Schilling?
Age: 54
From: Melbourne, Australia
Instagram: @mel_schilling1
Mel was born in 1972, which makes her around 53 years old. From Melbourne, Australia, she is the daughter of parents Paul and Beth Schilling. She also has a sister named Rebecca Atkinson.
What is Mel Schilling's height?
Mel’s surprisingly not as tall as she appears on television, standing at just over 5 feet.
She spoke about this on her website, where she stated: “I’m quite the tiny package and people often comment 'oh you’re so much smaller than you seem on TV' when they meet me. But I pack a whole lot of energy into this small frame and what I lack in height, I reckon I make up for in enthusiasm!"
What is Mel Schilling’s net worth?
It’s an estimate at best but sources on the internet have estimated that Mel’s worth around £1million. That’s a lot of money, but also it adds up when you take into account the variety of Mel’s work.
She was not only an expert on two versions of Married At First Sight, she’s also a confidence coach, public speaker, consultant and then on top of that, you can include her various collaborations, sponsorships and media appearances. She's also the author of The C Word.
Was Mel Schilling a qualified psychologist?
Mel has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology as well as a Graduate Diploma in Psychology.
She’s been a practising psychologist for over twenty years, beginning her career in 1998 as a Consulting Psychologist at Morgan and Banks. In 2001 she took on a role as Senior Consulting Psychologist with Personnel Decisions International, then went into consulting as a Consulting Psychologist for Extraversion Consulting.
Mel continued to climb the corporate ladder until she made it to the top as Director and Consulting Psychologist of Be. Talented in 2008, where she remained for nine years before being cast on Married At First Sight.
Her credentials speak for themselves, so when Mel tells you your behaviour is toxic, you better listen to her.
Who is Mel Schilling’s husband?
Mel married her husband Gareth Brisbane in 2018, but the pair have been together for much longer than that.
Gareth is hugely successful in his own industry, holding a PhD. in Computer Security, he's a development leader for Mercer Australia.
Ironically, they met on a dating website and before tying the knot in Bali eight years later, a destination that holds a special place in both their hearts.
Speaking to WHO Magazine about her wedding day, Mel said: "I had a bit of a cry on the day. It's just the meaning of it all. I was a late bloomer in life, like, I didn't meet my husband until I was nearly 40 and then we had our daughter when I was nearly 42, so to be finally saying our 'I dos' was an emotional time. It was very special."
Does Mel Schilling have children?
Mel has an ten-year-old daughter called Maddie who she often posts about online on her Instagram.
As she mentioned in her interview with WHO Magazine, Mel had her daughter comparatively quite late in life at the age of 42.
The psychologist has openly talked about her struggles to conceive in the past and how when Maddie was born, it was quite a miracle, because she had previously had a heartbreaking miscarriage.
In an interview with OK!, Mel said, "I got pregnant when I was 40 and had a miscarriage and that really changed things. That was a real eye-opener and just made me realise how much I wanted a child. Both of us did."
After that experience, Mel and husband Gareth decided to go through the route of IVF to have their child, and they found success.
Did Mel Schilling have cancer?
At the end of 2023 Mel revealed she'd been diagnosed with bowel (colon) cancer and underwent surgery to remove a tumour just before Christmas.
Treatment included keyhole surgery and chemotherapy and she finished her last round of chemo in July 2024. Despite entering remission, later that year she found out that the cancer had metastasised and had entered her lungs.
The mum-of-one underwent another 16 rounds of chemotherapy and was feeling optimistic as she was set to begin a "groundbreaking clinical trial" in March 2026.
Tragically, over Christmas 2025 she started to experience "blinding headaches" and was told the cancer had spread to the left side of her brain. This time the cancer was diagnosed as terminal.
"Despite subsequent radiotherapy sessions, my oncology team have now told me there is nothing further they can do," Mel bravely shared.
When did Mel Schilling pass away?
On March 24th, 2026, Mel's husband confirmed the sad news that Mel had lost her battle to cancer. In an emotional statement on Instagram, 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. Even then, her only thought was for Maddie and me."
Was Mel Schilling in Neighbours?
The most surprising fact about Mel has to be her work as an actress. During the time she built her career as a consulting psychologist, the woman also managed to find time to appear in two of Australia’s most iconic tv shows.
Neighbours, which is well loved to this day in the UK and procedural cop show, Blue Heelers which ran from 1993 to 2006.
Her background in both psychology and her experience on the set of television shows essentially guaranteed her the role as expert on Married At First Sight, and the rest is history.
Read more about MAFS news here:
- MAFS expert John Aiken praises "incredible" Mel Schilling after terminal cancer diagnosis
- MAFS Australia bride 'fired' from her job after "awful" dinner party behaviour
- MAFS Australia's Chris' shocking unseen footage has viewers saying Sam 'dodged a bullet'
- MAFS Australia viewers slam Mel after photo ranking challenge and 'ick' comment
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