16 January 2024 , 15:56
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Married At First Sight expert Mel Schilling shared some wise words about looking after yourself after revealing she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
The star took to her Instagram page after appearing on This Morning to urge followers to listen to their bodies. Along with a snap of her posing at the ITV studio, she said: "Well … that was a very different @thismorning segment today. Rather than offering advice to others, I had the opportunity to talk about my own experience - my bowel cancer journey.
"I think the key messages from our chat were: Listen to your body, if something feels wrong ask for help (Don’t gaslight yourself, you know your body better than anyone else). If your bowel habits have changed ask your GP for a *Poo Test* (aka a FIT Test) it’s a quick, simple, painless test that will indicate any signs of bowel cancer
She concluded her post by thanking the stars on This Morning: "Prevention is better than a cure, so live the healthiest lifestyle you can Thank you to the wonderful @josiegibson85 and @dermotoleary for being so kind & sensitive and to the incredible @drnighatarif for your medical knowledge & wisdom."
Mel told her followers to listen to their bodies
The star announced the news of her cancer diagnosis in December (Instagram/ @mel_schilling1)Mel announced the heartbreaking news of her cancer diagnosis in December. In an Instagram post, she told followers she was diagnosed earlier that month and penned: "'YOU HAVE CANCER', Three little words that everyone dreads but no one ever expects to hear."
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Posing alongside husband Gareth Brisbane, 51, and daughter Madison, eight, Mel, who appeared as a dating coach on MAFS, revealed her colon cancer diagnosis. "Last Thursday my consultant told me those 3 words," she explained in her latest upload. Mel told fans she noticed a pain in her stomach while out filming in Australia. "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."
She added: "I saw my GP in Sydney and he put it down to constipation, gave me some laxatives and sent me on my way." Mel returned to the UK and booked herself a scan, despite her initial diagnosis Down Under. "On Thursday I was told I had colon cancer and in an instant, my whole life changed.
She went on to explain she was removing the 5cm tumour in her colon that could have "killed her" if it went "undetected". Mel later revealed she had a successful surgery that "couldn't have gone any better" and was able to drive home to celebrate Christmas with her family.