A fake AI message from beyond the grave supposedly from Married At First Sight star Mel Schilling has fooled fans and gone viral just hours after her tragic death. The Australian psychologist turned dating expert died on Tuesday, aged 54, just days after she revealed her bowel cancer had spread to her brain. Mel was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023 and underwent treatment including chemotherapy in the UK while filming Married At First Sight UK. She later revealed surgeons had successfully removed a tumour the size of a lemon and she had been given the all-clear. But last week she revealed the cancer spread to her lungs in February 2024 and reached her brain by Christmas 2025. Her death was confirmed just a few days later.
A Disembodied Voice
Within hours of the announcement, a TikTok video falsely claiming to be a final message released by her family was unwittingly shared widely online by fans. Using an AI-generated voice mimicking Mel, the clip plays over a montage of her personal photos, TV appearances and magazine shoots. 'If you are watching this video it means there is nothing more that can be done for me,' the haunting disembodied voice said on the fake video. 'I spent more than 20 years studying human emotions and relationships. The most successful case of my life was my beloved Gareth. So Gareth please continue our story - I know you will feel pain but please allow yourself to be happy again.'
Exploiting IVF and Miscarriage
'And to my precious daughter, you are the miracle your father and I received after enduring the pain of miscarriage and going through IVF. 'You are the achievement I am most proud of in my life - please live boldly and without hesitation for your mother. 'Finally, to everyone who has ever watched Married at First Sight or heard me speak, take every signal your body sends you seriously.' The AI fake includes intimate family details with references to her husband Gareth Brisbane and young daughter Maddie, convincing many it was real. The video has racked up more than 562,000 views and attracted thousands of comments from grieving fans as it continues to spread online.
The TikTok account where it first began also boasts multiple similar clips including one falsely claiming to be a final message from late US actor James Van Der Beek. Because of their huge viewing figures and engagement, the videos will have generated hundreds - and possibly thousands - of dollars by cashing in on the grief. But it has now sparked a backlash from outraged fans. 'How disrespectful to Mel. This is poor taste and has no place here,' said one. 'This is disgraceful. What is wrong with people? I feel like I cannot believe anything online anymore.' But others were taken in by the fake and shared their grief at her death in the comments. 'Oh Mel, so, so sorry - absolutely gutted for you,' one wrote. 'This is so sad - you are beautiful inside and out,' added another.
Others unwittingly reposted the video with their own reactions to it, showing them sobbing as they listened to the AI-generated voiceover. She led the expert panel of the Australian franchise for 12 seasons and also appeared in five series of the UK version on Channel 4. She had announced she would be stepping back from filming earlier this year to prioritise her family and health. Mel's husband, Gareth Brisbane, confirmed her death on Tuesday in a statement on Instagram, and paid tribute to her love for him and their daughter Madison, ten. He wrote: 'Melanie Jane Brisbane-Schilling passed away peacefully today, surrounded by love. '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. 'It took all of her remaining strength, and that gesture summed up our wee Melsie perfectly. Even then, her only thought was for Maddie and me. 'This is a woman who became a new mum and a TV star at 42 - and nailed both.'
Gareth continued: 'This is a woman who, through two years of chemotherapy, when she could barely lift her head from the pillow, never complained and never stopped showing courage, grace, compassion and empathy, and never missed a day of filming. '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.' 'On behalf of our family and her incredible friendship group, thank you for the support from around the world.' Rounding out his statement, Gareth urged Mel's fans to 'live life to the full.' 'Life can be beautiful, and life can be incredibly cruel. But ultimately, life is fleeting, fragile, and tomorrow is promised to no one. If you can do anything to honour Mel, please live life to the full, love your people well, and try not to sweat the small stuff,' he wrote. 'I had 15 wonderful years with my soulmate, and it was the privilege of my life to be by her side. For that, I will be forever thankful. 'Goodbye,my love.My one.Until we meet again.'