Married At First Sight star Mel Schilling gives health update amid cancer battle

MAFS Mel Schilling was diagnosed with colon cancer last year. Photo / Instagram

Married At First Sight expert Mel Schilling has shared a positive update on her health as she prepares to begin filming the upcoming season.

Schilling took to Instagram with a video message for her more than 200,000 followers, in which she detailed how she’d been focusing on her recovery after being diagnosed with colon cancer late last year.

“So here I am in Sydney, Bondi to be specific. The gorgeous Bondi Beach and this is now my home for the next couple of months,” she said.

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A post shared by Melanie Brisbane-Schilling (@mel_schilling1)

“Just had a gorgeous month with my family here in Australia. My hubby and daughter came out with me for the first month of my filming journey here, and they’ve just returned to the UK, so it’s very bittersweet.”

Schilling went on to admit that while it was difficult being separated from her family for such a long time, it was a shorter period than previous years.

“It’s only six or seven weeks this time around, and certainly, I’ve done longer than that. We’ve had three-month separations before, so this one is much shorter,” she said.

Schilling added that she was “determined” to now focus on her “health and recovery”.

Experts Mel Schilling, Alessandra Rampolla and John Aiken are the much loved experts of Married At First Sight Australia. Photo / Nine

“My energy is definitely returned, which is wonderful to feel like myself, to feel like I want to go for walks is an amazing feeling,” she explained.

“It’s great to be back at work here in Australia. Working with the MAFS family again is just brilliant and really is helping me feel like I’m moving into the next chapter.”

After receiving her diagnosis last year, Schilling underwent surgery and has recently completed her chemotherapy.

In April, she made a heartbreaking admission about her progress, admitting she had been left feeling “flat” as she underwent treatment.

“I’m feeling a little flat today actually, to be totally honest with you,” she told UK radio station MagicFM, describing chemo as leaving her feeling “like I’ve been drinking all night”.

“It sort of feels like being hungover,” Schilling said.

MAFS Mel Schilling has given her followers an update after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Photo / Instagram

“I’m just now trying to find the way to juggle everything, because I’m not stopping working. This thing is not beating me, I’m here to fight, I just need to make some adaptations.”

Schilling revealed in December that she had sought medical advice after feeling “severe stomach cramps” on set while filming the last season of MAFS.

Doctors first put it down to constipation, but she knew something was not right with her body and requested a scan – which is when they found the cancer.