Married at First Sight star Mel Schilling flooded with support as she reveals cancer diagnosis days before Christmas

Married At First Sight star Mel Schilling has revealed that she has been diagnosed with cancer. The 51-year-old dating expert shared how she'll be spending Christmas in the hospital following the devastating news.

Mel told her fans and followers the news in an Instagram post on Tuesday evening (December 19). Sharing a picture of her cuddling into husband Gareth Brisbane, 51, and daughter Madison, eight, Mel revealed she has been diagnosed with colon cancer and will have a five-centimetre tumour removed over Christmas.

"'YOU HAVE CANCER', Three little words that everyone dreads but no one ever expects to hear. Last Thursday my consultant told me those 3 words," she started to write alongside her post. Mel went on to tell fans she was suffering pain in her stomach while filming the reality series out in Australia.

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She said: "About a month ago when I was filming in Australia I developed severe stomach cramps on set, I put it down to all the travel I’d been doing and the upset it caused to my system. I saw my GP in Sydney and he put it down to constipation, gave me some laxatives and sent me on my way. Fortunately I knew something still wasn’t right so I booked in for a scan when I returned to the UK. On Thursday I was told I had colon cancer and in an instant my whole life changed.

"John Lennon famously said that life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans, how right he was. This week I had planned to travel to Northern Ireland with my family to spend Christmas with loved ones. Instead tomorrow morning I’m checking in