Mel Schilling’s podcast co-host Elizabeth Day recalls their final days together and says ‘I’m so blessed I got to see her the week before she died’

Mel Schilling’s podcast co-host and friend Elizabeth Day has recalled their final days together in a heartbreaking tribute following her death.

The Married At First Sight expert died aged 54 on Tuesday, just days after she revealed her cancer had spread to her brain. Mel was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023.

After Mel’s husband Gareth announced her death on social media, where he spoke about her love for him and their daughter Madison, 10, tributes have flooded in from her friends, co-stars and fans.

Elizabeth, 47, who co-hosted the How To Date podcast with Mel, has shared their final time together in her emotional tribute. 

‘I never understood the truth of the phrase “she lights up a room” until I met Mel,’ Elizabeth started by saying. ‘There was an inner radiance to her; a spark; a dazzle. It wasn’t just the smile or the obvious beauty. It wasn’t just the sequins she loved or the glittery eyeshadow. It was deeper than that. It was the generosity that accompanied it.’

‘She wanted others to shine, to feel special and to be loved. To be in her company was to feel anything was possible.’

She continued: ‘Like many of you, I fell in love with Mel on Married At First Sight. Her insights on the couch were always brilliantly delivered, with insight and compassion. But when someone needed calling to account, she did it. She was strong. And yet her strength has an elegance to it.

‘The recipients of Mel’s arched eyebrow would always deserve it. They would be the bullies, the misogynists, the narcissists. And she did it so well! A victim would often have no idea their nastiness had been filleted from them like bones from a Dover sole by a particularly expert waiter.’

‘The contestants on MAFS rightly adored Mel. She taught many of them how to love – and, crucially, how to start believing they were worthy of love.

‘When I had the idea for a podcast called How To Date, I only ever wanted Mel to host it. I felt so lucky when she agreed. She was amazing, of course. A total pro. And she believed in it. She believed in me, which was a special kind of gift.

‘Mel’s attitude was always ‘why not?’ Why not aim high? Why not dance till the early hours? Why not have another spicy margarita? Why not meet the love of her life online at 39 (this was something we both had in common)?’

‘All of this meant that I didn’t really believe it when she told me her cancer had returned. Mel was so vividly ALIVE. It felt like a cosmic practical joke; the universe saying: ‘haha just kidding, I had you going there for a moment!’ I just knew that she’d be ok.’

‘Except that she wasn’t.’

Opening up about their last time together, Elizabeth said: ‘She told me over Christmas that the cancer had spread. I didn’t know how little time we’d have left. I’m so blessed that I got to see her the week before she died.’

She added: ‘”My girl,” she said and we squeezed each other’s hands. Mel brought so much love to the world.

‘It makes me happy to think that she found love with the amazing Gareth and their incredible daughter Maddie. To watch that family go through the unimaginable has been a lesson in courage and grace. A lesson in love, most of all.

‘I feel so sad she’s gone, of course. I still have all those voicneotes we sent each other. All the photos and videos: the digital trails of friendship. But I also feel that pulsating, vivid energy of hers pushing through the atmosphere of life, urging us all forwards, encouraging us to ask Why Not of love, of ourselves and of each other.

‘My girl. Travel safe. Love you.’

Elizabeth also posted a picture from the day after Mel learned her cancer had spread as she donned a sparkly dress and put on a brave face.

She explained: ‘She was told the cancer had come back the day before our launch party for How To Date, held with cruel irony on Valentine’s Day.

‘She came to that party, swathed in fabulous gold sequins, looking stunning. We danced to House of Pain’s Jump Around. We jointly cut into a camp, pink wedding cake. She showed up. She always showed up.’  

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.

In a lengthy Instagram post last week, she revealed that she found out her cancer had metastasised to her lungs in 2024, and over Christmas it was discovered it had spread to her brain.

Mel had written: ‘I honestly don’t know how long I have left, but I do know I will fight to my last breath and will be surrounded by the love and support of my people.’

Announcing her death, her devastated husband Gareth 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.

‘This is a woman who became a new mum and a TV star at 42 — and nailed both.

‘This is a woman who, through two years of chemotherapy, when she could barely lift her head from the pillow, never complained and never stopped showing courage, grace, compassion and empathy, and never missed a day of filming.

‘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.’

Gareth continued: ‘Life can be beautiful, and life can be incredibly cruel. But ultimately, life is fleeting, fragile, and tomorrow is promised to no one. If you can do anything to honour Mel, please live life to the full, love your people well, and try not to sweat the small stuff.

‘I had 15 wonderful years with my soulmate, and it was the privilege of my life to be by her side. For that, I will be forever thankful.

‘Goodbye, my love. My one. Until we meet again.’ 

Channel 4, which airs MAFS series in the UK, released a poignant statement, paying tribute to ‘our friend who radiated joy, warmth and optimism.’ 

‘All of us at Channel 4 are incredibly saddened by the news of Mel’s death. Our thoughts and condolences are, first and foremost, with her family and loved ones,’ read the statement.

‘We’re privileged to be the channel that is home to Mel’s work, which was at the heart of Married at First Sight’s phenomenal success, both in the UK and Australia. It reflected so much about her – her fierce advocacy for other women, her passion for healthy relationships and her mission to unite people in love.’

‘Just as importantly, we’d like to pay tribute to Mel as a person. For many who work for Channel 4, Mel was not just a colleague but a friend, someone who radiated joy, warmth and optimism, who energised every room she walked into with humour and postivity.

‘Everyone who knew her will miss all this about her and much more. We share in the sorrow that we’re sure many viewers will now feel at this terrible loss.’