The warning signs of colon cancer everyone needs to know – and how to tell if it’s advanced… as Married At First Sight star Mel Schilling shares heartbreaking update
In a heartbreaking update this week on her long-running bowel cancer battle, Married at First Sight relationship guru Mel Schilling revealed: ‘I don’t know how long I have left.
The much–loved psychologist and mother-of-one, 54, added in the poignant Instagram post: ‘I will fight to my last breath and will be surrounded by the love and support of my people. My light is starting to fade – and quickly.
‘If I could leave you with one thing, it would be simply this: if something doesn’t feel right, please get it checked out. It might just save your life.’
Ms Schilling was diagnosed with bowel cancer in December 2023, after experiencing abdominal pain, constipation and fatigue – which she ignored for weeks, putting her symptoms down to hormonal changes.
The cancer has now spread to her lungs and brain – meaning there’s little oncologists can do.
Bowel cancer has long been associated with old age, but with increasingly more under 50s being diagnosed with the devastating disease experts say it is crucial to know the warning signs.
Also known as colon cancer, the disease starts in the large bowel which includes the colon and rectum.
And whilst bowel cancer doesn’t always cause symptoms, even if it’s progressed to stage four, there are signs to watch out for…
Updating MAFS fans about her health, Mel shared a heartbreaking post to Instagram saying that the cancer has spread to her brain
Early bowel cancer symptom: Changes in bowel habits
The first warning signs of bowel cancer are often subtle – but one of the most common is a persistent change in bowel habits.
This can include constipation, diarrhoea, or needing to go to the toilet more often than usual. Some people also feel as though their bowel has not fully emptied after going.
At first, the only sign that something might be wrong Schilling experienced was constipation and abdominal pain – which wasn’t unusual around her period.
‘I was just feel speed ahead, doing my job, travelling the world, doing my thing and living my best life, but all of these symptoms were happening in my body and I wasn’t paying attention,’ she said.
‘There was pain, there was constipation. But, particularly as women, if we have symptoms in the abdominal region, generally we think “I’ve got to toughen up – that’s something to do with my cycle” and we’ve grown up knowing every month we have to get on with it.’
Blood in the stool – a key bowel cancer warning sign
Another common warning sign of bowel cancer is blood in the stool.
This may appear as bright red blood in the toilet bowl or darker blood mixed with the stool. In some cases the bleeding is very small and not visible to the naked eye – which is why screening tests check for tiny traces of blood.
Persistent stomach pain, fatigue and unexplained weight loss
Bowel cancer can also cause ongoing abdominal discomfort, cramping or bloating.
Some people develop unexplained fatigue or weight loss as the disease progresses, particularly if slow bleeding from the tumour leads to anaemia.
Severe bloating or constipation – when a tumour blocks the bowel
In some cases the tumour can partially or completely block the bowel.
This can cause severe cramping abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting and constipation. A blocked bowel is considered a medical emergency.
MAFS’s Mel Schilling, 54, reveals her cancer has spread to her brain and there is ‘nothing more doctors can do’ as she shares devastating health update
In a lengthy caption she penned: ‘My light is starting to fade — and quickly. But I am still here, still fighting, and surrounded by the most incredible love’
Yellow skin or jaundice – when bowel cancer spreads to the liver
If bowel cancer spreads to the liver, one warning sign can be jaundice, where the skin and the whites of the eyes turn yellow.
Other symptoms can include nausea, weight loss, a swollen abdomen and pain on the right side of the abdomen.
Jaundice occurs when a bile duct becomes blocked by the cancer. Bile ducts are small tubes that drain bile from the liver into the small intestine.
When a bile duct is blocked, bile cannot drain properly, meaning it builds up in the bloodstream and surrounding tissue.
This causes the yellowing of the skin and eyes. Urine may also become darker, stools can turn pale and some people develop itchy skin.
A persistent cough – when bowel cancer spreads to the lungs
In December 2023, the Channel 4 star was formally diagnosed with colon cancer after scans revealed a tumour the size of a lemon on her colon.
Thankfully, doctors managed to remove the tumour, which she named Terry, and she was given the all clear.
But just a couple of months later, in February 2024, a routine scan revealed small nodules in her lungs, suggesting the cancer was not only back, but it had spread.
‘The cancer had metastasised and my world changed again in an instant,’ she said.
Bowel cancer can spread if parts of the tumour break away from the colon and travel to another part of the body via the lymphatic system – including the lungs.
Once it has spread to the lungs, symptoms can include a cough that does not go away, breathlessness and coughing up blood.
Treatment for secondary lung cancer usually aims to control the cancer and the symptoms – and may include chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery.
Schilling underwent 16 rounds of chemotherapy over two years, whilst filming for the show, to keep the cancer under control for as long as possible.
Headaches or numbness – when bowel cancer spreads to the brain
Things began to look up for the busy mother–of–one when she told that she was eligible for a groundbreaking clinical trial specific to her gene type, due to start next month.
‘Once again my optimism soared that I might beat this thing,’ she wrote on Instagram.
But then she started to experience ‘blinding headaches’ and numbness down the right side of her body. After a barrage of tests, she was told the cancer had spread to the left side of her brain.
When bowel cancer spreads to the brain it is known as brain metastasis or secondary brain cancer.
Symptoms depend on where the tumour is located but can include headaches, nausea, seizures, personality changes, blurred vision and difficulty speaking.
Secondary brain cancer cannot usually be cured.
In a lengthy caption she penned: ‘My light is starting to fade — and quickly. But I am still here, still fighting, and surrounded by the most incredible love.’
Why the warning signs matter
Every year around 44,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in the UK.
The disease kills roughly 17,000 annually.
The first signs are often persistent changes in bowel habits – such as constipation and diarrhoea – as well as blood in the stool, abdominal pain, fatigue and unexplained weight loss.
And because under-50s are not routinely invited for bowel cancer screening, experts say younger people must be aware of the warning signs.
