The husband of late Married At First Sight relationship expert Mel Schilling has shared a heartfelt tribute on what would have been the couple's wedding anniversary, nearly four months after her death.
54-year-old Schilling died on March 24, 11 days after revealing her colon cancer had become terminal.
Gareth Brisbane posted the tribute to Schilling's Instagram account alongside a photo from their wedding day, describing the anniversary as "the happiest day of my life" which had become "one of the saddest".
"We didn’t quite make 8 years married or 15 years together but what a love and what a life we had!" he wrote.
"By the end of our first date I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and my love for you burned ever brighter, even as your own light faded."
The couple's 11-year-old daughter Maddie was also mentioned by Brisbane in the post.
"Sleep easy my girl, I hope you know that Maddie and I are in the best possible place to continue healing. She is every inch your daughter and you would be so proud of the remarkable young woman she is becoming."
He ended the post by saying: "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal."
The MAFS relationship expert was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2023, when a tumour "the size of a lemon was discovered during a scan".
She said the tumour was successfully removed, but in February 2024 small nodules were discovered on her lungs.
"The cancer had metastasised and my world changed again in an instant," Schilling said at the time.
On March 13, the TV star shared an update that there was nothing more that could be done for her cancer, saying her "light is starting to fade — and quickly" following years of extensive treatment.
Following her death, Brisbane revealed in a post shared to Instagram that Schilling had spent her final moments comforting her family.
"In her final moments, when I thought cancer had taken away her ability to speak, she ushered me closer and whispered a message for Maddie and me that will sustain me for the rest of my life," he said at the time.
"To most of you, she was Mel Schilling — matriarch of MAFS and queen of reality TV. To Maddie and me, she was our wee Melsie: an incredible mum, role model, and soulmate."
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