mafs experts mel tributes uk and australia

‘Devastated and heartbroken’ MAFS experts share moving tributes to Mel Schilling

‘At her core, she loved love’

1 hour ago

Claudia Cox | Entertainment

The MAFS expert Mel Schilling has sadly died at age 54. The other experts from both MAFS Australia and MAFS UK have shared emotional tributes to her.

John Aiken

John posted two photos of him and Mel together. He wrote: “It’s with great sadness and heavy heart that today I lost my dear friend and fellow MAFS expert Mel Schilling. I am heartbroken, devastated and finding it hard to breathe. She came into my life 10 years ago and together we rode this MAFS juggernaut, being there for one another through it all. Nothing could prepare us for what lay ahead, but she was always in the fox hole with me.

“It was a privilege and an honour to sit beside her on the MAFS couch and watch her shine. She was warm, supportive and honest, and she deeply cared about all our participants. I had a front row seat to her remarkable skills and she truly believed in the experiment. At her core she loved love. And behind the scenes we had so much fun. Before going on set we would sing, dance, face time her daughter and eat lollies. Every time I came to set she would squeal, jump out of her chair and run and embrace me – squeezing me tight.

John and Mel on MAFS Australia
(Image via Channel 4)

“And through all of these years she was an amazing mother and wife. She was loving, committed, loyal, fun and so very very kind. And she always had as her driving force her family. She was a role model for all to see.

“And when her illness struck she never complained. She kept her challenges to herself and continued to deliver time and time again. She was an inspiration, a fighter, a leader.

“It’s not fair that my partner in crime is gone. She was one of the good ones. I am unravelling just thinking about it. I wanted to sit on our couch together forever. She knew my rhythms and I knew hers. But it’s simply not to be.”

John also thanked Mel, and sent love and prayers to her family.

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Charlene Douglas

The UK expert posted a video of her, Mel and Paul dancing around a studio to Crazy in Love. Charlene wrote: “I’m both devastated and heartbroken to hear of the passing of my MAFS queen and friend Mel.

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“I had the pleasure of spending time with Mel in her last days and will forever treasure the laughter, the memories and love we had for each other. Mel’s love for life, jokes and of course dancing will forever stay in my heart. What I wouldn’t give to be dancing to Beyoncé with you right now. Sleep in perfect peace Mel. Love you.”

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Alessandra Rampolla

She posted a carousel of photos of her and Mel, both on-set for MAFS and beyond the show. Alessandra wrote her “heart is shattered” and she was “struggling to find the words”.

Alessandra shared: “I feel so incredibly grateful for the time we shared last week… to look you in the eyes, to hold your hand, and to say the things that truly mattered. That is a gift I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

“You were so much more than a colleague. You were a constant, a guiding force, and to me, someone I admired and learned from — like a big sister, a woman of immense heart, wisdom, and generosity. You welcomed me from the very beginning and made me feel at home in a space that could have felt overwhelming, always kind and generous with your light. That is who you were.

“What we shared—on and off screen—was real, and I will treasure it always.”

Alessandra also thanked Mel for her “unwavering belief in love”.