Mel's cancer crisis 'I IGNORED THE SIGNS'

The MAFS expert recalls the moment she was given a devastating medical diagnosis

- Lucy Croke

When she was told the terrifying news she had colon cancer last year, Married At First Sight Australia relationships expert Mel Schilling says she went into "autopilot", burying herself in work.

"In the moment, I don't think I processed it at all," confesses Mel, 51. "I went straight into work mode and started saying, 'I can't do this. I've got to be on set in two weeks!' Whereas my husband was beside himself. He had to leave the room - he instantly felt the emotion of it."

After initially attributing her symptoms to hormone replacement therapy (HRT), Mel wants to speak out about her journey to raise awareness. She urges women to look out for the signs and get checked for the disease.

"We put it down to other things," she explains. "I'd started HRT six months before and thought, 'It's just a hormonal thing. But it wasn't."