Schilling, 54, died last Tuesday following a three-year battle with the disease.
It was only on March 13 that Schilling revealed her "light was starting to fade", sharing on Instagram she had been diagnosed with a tumour the "size of a lemon" in December 2023. This was successfully removed in surgery, but in February 2024, a routine scan revealed small nodules in her lungs. Over the next two years, Schilling underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy.
Despite these interventions, the cancer metastasised to her lungs and earlier this month, to her brain. She leaves behind her husband Gareth Brisbane, and 11-year-old daughter Madison.
"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," Brisbane wrote on Instagram.
"To most of you, she was Mel Schilling — matriarch of MAFS and queen of reality TV. To Maddie and me, she was our wee Melsie: an incredible mum, role model, and soulmate."
Married At First Sight psychologist Mel Schilling, 54, passed away from bowel cancer on March 24, 2026. Photo: Nine.
Schilling joined the Australian version of the reality show in 2016, where she counselled couples alongside fellow psychologist John Aitken and sexologist Alessandra Rampolla.
Her passing has highlighted a dangerous gap in public understanding of the disease's progression and its often-invisible early warning signs.
Bowel cancer is the second-deadliest cancer in Australia. One in 16 Australians will be diagnosed in their lifetime, with the disease claiming more than 5200 lives annually. However, medical experts warn the persistent misconception—that only those above 50 are at risk—is costing lives.
"The story is definitely resonating with the community," says Clinical Professor Rupert Leong of Macquarie Medical School, who has already seen "asymptomatic" patients return for tests since Schilling's death.
Bowel cancer is the second-deadliest cancer in Australia, with the disease claiming more than 5200 lives annually. Photo: Getty.
"My first patient at the clinic today was a 55-year-old that failed to return for her follow up colonoscopy, which was last conducted five years ago. I immediately booked her in for one."
While Schilling was in her early 50s at the time of her diagnosis, the medical community is increasingly concerned with "early-onset" cases appearing in younger demographics who do not meet standard screening criteria.
What symptoms can point to bowel cancer?
Postdoctoral Research Fellow Binod Rayamajhee (pictured) investigates the role of the gut microbiome in precancerous colon polyp growth and progression to colorectal cancer. Photo: Supplied.
Professor Leong says there are several to look out for. These include blood in your stool, altered bowel habits, an unexplained iron deficiency causing fatigue, and unusual pain or swelling of the abdomen.
"Regular screening is a good way of identifying lesions before they become symptomatic," Leong says, "because by the time some people get symptoms, like in Mel's case, it may already be too late."
"Blood in your stool is not normal and shouldn't be ignored," Leong says. This won't be the typical, bright red blood of haemorrhoids. "Sometimes it can be dark blood, or watery in appearance, so any colour of blood should be an alarm bell to have an evaluation by a GP, then a gastroenterologist or colonoscopy if needed."
Early-stage bowel cancer or even polyps may cause bleeding in such a "minute" amount that it wouldn't raise any alarm bells.
Macquarie University researchers believe that a sustained imbalance of the gut microbiome may contribute to the progression of colorectal polyps toward a cancerous stage. Photo: Supplied.
Changes in normal bowel habits are another commonly missed symptom. "For example, if stools have started to become loose, or the person is getting constipated and cannot go to the toilet," Leong says. "The change could be diarrhoea, constipation, or even a change in the shape and appearance of the stools. Any change of normal bowel habits that lasts for more than a week should prompt a visit to the GP."
Abdominal pain or swelling are classified as non-specific symptoms, while Leong flags iron deficiency and unexplained anaemia as "important" potential indicators.
"Because bowel symptoms are very common, they may not necessarily always lead one to think about bowel cancer," he says. "
Why are more young people getting bowel cancer?
While bowel cancer has historically been viewed as a disease of the elderly, there is a shifting epidemiological pattern in Australia.
Cases in patients over 50 have largely "plateaued or decreased" due to established population-based screening and increased awareness, Leong says. However, the disease is now the deadliest cancer for Australians aged 25 to 54.
"We can't say for sure why this is occurring now, but our speculation is due to changes in the environment," Leong says.
A conceptual illustration of colorectal cancer cells. The disease is now the deadliest cancer for Australians aged 25 to 54. Photo: Getty.
"We are now eating foods that are very different to what our parents and grandparents used to eat. We're eating more refined, ultra-processed foods and in a much greater quantity. One theory is that these foods are damaging the gut balance of the healthy organism."
The potential overuse of antibiotics in the population may also be responsible for stripping the gut of its protective bacteria.
How can you check for bowel cancer?
The Australian Government provides free bowel cancer screening kits to people aged 50 to 74, every two years. As of July 2024, people aged 45 to 49 can opt in for mail screening, which Leong strongly encourages.
People with "risk factors" such as prior polyps (small growths on the inner lining of the colon), a family history of bowel cancer, or an Inflammatory Bowel Disease such as Crohn's, should test every two years.
However, Leong says it's imperative for anyone younger than 50 to also monitor for symptoms: "It's very, very important that if something doesn't seem right, you make an appointment with your GP."
General practitioners use faecal immunochemical tests (FIT) to check for hidden bleeding in the bowel. "If that test is positive, the person would then undergo a colonoscopy," Leong says.
"In a colonoscopy, any small polyps or abnormalities can be identified, diagnosed, and most importantly, treated. We remove the polyps to remove the risk of them ever turning into bowel cancer."
According to Bowel Cancer Australia, 99 per cent of cases can be successfully treated with early detection.
