Married At First Sight knowledgeable John Aiken in tears as he addresses Mel Schilling’s terminal most cancers analysis in emotional interview: ‘She’s a fighter’

Married At First Sight star John Aiken broke down in tears on Friday night as he talked about his co-star Mel Schilling’s terminal cancer diagnosis. 

Mel, 54, gave her followers a heartbreaking health update on Thursday, revealing that her cancer has spread to her brain and there is ‘nothing more doctors can do‘. 

John, 55, who starred in 11 seasons of MAFS with Mel, addressed the news on A Current Affair during an emotional interview with Allison Langdon.  

‘It’s just so unbelievable how quickly this disease has got on top of her. She’s an amazing woman. Such a bright shining light, and she is a fighter,’ he said.

‘We knew that she had cancer on and off for two years, but she never complained, never let on what was going on.

‘And so this has come as a complete shock to all of us.’

Fighting back his tears, John went on to reminisce over the ‘precious moments’ he has spent with Mel behind the scenes of MAFS since she joined the show in 2016.

‘I’ve spent a lot of time over the last 24 hours just going through photos and listening to music because she’s a very big fan of 80s music,’ he said.

‘A lot of people don’t realise that before we go on set we’re often singing and dancing in the hair and make-up room before we go on and call out bad behaviour on the set with these couples.’

John also commended Mel for being an ‘amazing mum’ to her daughter Maddie, 10, whom she conceived through IVF with her husband Gareth Brisbane. 

‘She’s a real force to be reckoned with. A force of nature. She would fly over from the UK, she’d do our show,’ he said.

‘She’d have to fly back several times, but always at the forefront of her mind was her daughter Maddie and her husband Gareth. 

‘They were a driving force for her and I would often see her as I was getting made up; she was out the back FaceTiming Maddie, taking photos, getting fashion checks from her.’ 

John went on to say he hopes he gets a chance to fly back to the UK and ‘say goodbye’ to Mel, as his co-star recently said she doesn’t know how much longer she has left to live.  

‘I’m stepping in to do MAFS UK, which she [Mel] was all across and I had her blessing, and I really did it with the full intention of keeping the seat warm for her so she could take over next year,’ he explained.

‘But that’s taken a real tragic turn. So, I hope I get a chance to see her while I’m in London, just to connect one more time.’

Mel’s fellow MAFS UK judges were also quick to react to the sad news, taking to social media to pay tribute.

Charlene Douglas shared a sweet snap of the pair during filming, that she captioned: ‘Always in my heart ❤️ Love you so much.’ 

Paul C Brunson also reacted to the news as he shared a poignant post. He penned: ‘Sometimes life stops us just long enough to remind us what truly matters.

‘We spend so much time chasing the next goal, solving the next problem, planning the next move.

‘But in the end, it’s rarely those things that define a life. It’s the people beside us. The quiet moments.

‘The laughter, the presence, the love we share. These moments remind us that strength isn’t always about pushing forward.

‘Sometimes it’s about pausing long enough to appreciate who were walking through life with.

‘So tonight, hug someone you love. Hold them close and tell them clearly how much they mean to you.’

Mel, who was first diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023 before it spread to her lungs, informed John it had spread to her brain earlier in the year.

However, John said he always had hope she would beat the disease because she was ‘so future-focused’ and assured him she would ‘fight’ and ‘win’ against the cancer. 

‘I just kept texting her, sending her photos, saying I’m in your corner, sending her voice messages, and thinking she was going to beat it,’ he said.

‘And just last night I found out she’ll, you know, it’s not gonna happen.’

In a heartbreaking moment, John also noted that he was getting older and was not ‘going to many weddings now, and instead ‘I’m going to more funerals’. 

‘It’s difficult as you get older. It’s very important to make the most of the people that are with you at the time that they’re standing in front of you because they can go quickly,’ he said.

Mel revealed on Thursday that her cancer is now terminal after spreading to her brain as she shared a devastating health update with her followers on Instagram.

The MAFS star first revealed she had been diagnosed with colon cancer back in December 2023, and she had to have surgery to remove a 5cm tumour.

However, in 2024, the cancer metastasised in her lungs and, over Christmas, it spread to her brain.

In a heartbreaking statement she wrote: ‘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.’

Mel explained she has undergone 16 rounds of chemotherapy during the past two years while also filming MAFS.

She was due to start a new clinical trial this March; however, over Christmas, she began experiencing blinding headaches and numbness down her right side.

After tests, it was discovered the cancer has spread to her brain and there is nothing more doctors can do. She wrote: ‘My light is starting to fade – and quickly.’