Married At First Sight fans were left heartbroken this week after learning that the show's iconic dating expert Mel Schilling has been diagnosed with colon cancer.
The 51-year-old Aussie relationship guru took to Instagram yesterday (19 December) to break the upsetting news to her 177k followers.
The E4 star also opened up about how she and her family are handling the news, sharing a snap of her husband Gareth, 51, and their eight-year-old daughter Madison.
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"YOU HAVE CANCER," the MAFS UK and Australia star captioned the tear-jerking snap.
"Three little words that everyone dreads but no one ever expects to hear. Last Thursday my consultant told me those three words."
Mel went on to explain that 'about a month ago', she developed 'severe stomach cramps' on set when she was filming in Australia, but she put her pains down to excessive travelling.
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Her GP at the time put the cramps down to constipation and sent her on her way with some laxatives.
She later became aware that something was seriously wrong, before being diagnosed with colon cancer after undergoing a scan in the UK.
"In an instant my whole life changed," she wrote on Instagram, before going on to urge her followers to persist in having their symptoms checked out by doctors if they feel that something is wrong.
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"I just wanted to finish by saying that if something doesn’t feel right, please, please don’t ignore it and if you don’t think the answers you have got are right, keep going until you do, it might just save your life."
According to the NHS, there are several tell-tale signs of bowel cancer that everyone should be aware of, and should visit a medical professional if they encounter them.
The first symptom to look out for is changes in your bowel movements - including having softer stools, diarrhoea or constipation.
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If you notice that your movements are somewhat out of the ordinary for you, you should be sure to have your symptoms checked out.
Similarly, if you're needing to go for a No. 2 notably more or less often than usual, you should visit a doctor.
Such is the case for regularly feeling like you need to use the toilet, despite having just been.
Blood in your stool - which can look either red or black - is also a common symptom of bowel cancer, as if bleeding from your bottom.
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Another warning sign to look out for is tummy pain, which Mel describes as being the first symptom she picked up on.
Similarly, bloating, or losing weight without purposefully trying to, can both be key indicators of bowel cancer - as can feeling very tired for no apparent reason.
The NHS website encourages patients to visit a doctor if you've had 'any symptoms of bowel cancer for 3 weeks or more'.
"Try not to be embarrassed," the site reads.
"The doctor or nurse will be used to talking about these symptoms."
Medical professionals also advise patients to ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if your poo is black or dark red, or if you have bloody diarrhoea.
They also encourage patients to go straight to A&E or call 999 if you're bleeding non-stop from your bottom, or there's a lot of blood, for example, the toilet water turns red or you see large blood clots.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Married At First Sight, Married At First Sight Australia, TV And Film, Mel Schilling
Rhianna Benson