'Rest easy queen': MAFS Australia fans in tears as show pays final and emotional tribute to Mel Schilling following her recent death

MAFS Australia has paid an emotional tribute to Mel Schilling following her death earlier this year – and fans are devastated.
The final episode of the series ended tonight with a heartbreaking montage dedicated to the relationship expert, who died in March aged 54 after battling stage 4 cancer.
Mel had continued filming MAFS Australia throughout her treatment and viewers were left in tears realising this would be the last time they would ever see her on the show.

MAFS Australia 2026 ended with an emotional tribute to Mel Schilling (Credit: Channel 4)

Fans praised Mel for her strength and courage throughout the series, admitting the final scenes had left them sobbing.
MAFS Australia airs emotional tribute to Mel Schilling
Mel was first diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023 before later revealing the disease had spread to her lungs and brain.
Despite undergoing chemotherapy, she continued filming both MAFS Australia and MAFS UK while keeping her trademark warmth, glamour and honesty on-screen.
The tribute began with clips of Mel hugging several of this year’s brides and smiling alongside fellow experts John Aiken and Alessandra Rampolla.
As scenes from past seasons played out, Mel’s voice could be heard reflecting on the meaning behind the experiment.
She said: “Yes, this experiment is about finding love but there’s also another very important stream that runs through this experiment.
“It is about personal development, it is about finding your worth, it is about learning to find your voice and to really believe that you deserve love.”
The emotional montage also included a photo of Mel with her husband Gareth and daughter Maddie. It is the same picture the family released when Mel died.
In one touching moment, Mel spoke about meeting Gareth later in life.
She said to co-star John Aiken: “He says, ‘You’re my soulmate’. He says he can stop looking because he’s found me.”