John Aiken shares heartfelt homage for 'MAFS' co-star Mel Schilling

John Aiken has paid tribute after the sudden death of co-star Mel Schilling from Married at First Sight.

The 55-year-old turned to Instagram Tuesday to honor their years of working together with a heartwarming note, on Tuesday, March 24.

He penned, “It’s with great sadness and heavy heart that today I lost my dear friend and fellow MAFS expert Mel Schilling. I am heartbroken, devastated and finding it hard to breathe."

He continued, “It was a privilege and an honour to sit beside her on the MAFS couch and watch her shine...I had a front row seat to her remarkable skills and she truly believed in the experiment. At her core she loved love.”

Recalling their off-camera bond, he added, “And behind the scenes we had so much fun...Every time I came to set she would squeal, jump out of her chair and run and embrace me - squeezing me tight.”

Moreover, he noted, “And through all of these years she was an amazing mother and wife...And she always had as her driving force her family. She was a role model for all to see.”

For the unfamiliar, the late television personality passed away on March 24 after battling colon cancer.

However, Mel Schilling first learned she had colon cancer in December 2023. In March 2026, she shared that it had become terminal after reaching her brain, with her medical team saying “there’s nothing further they can do.”