Australian TV star Melanie Schilling has shared that she has been feeling “a little bit flat” amid her third round of chemotherapy.
The dating and human behaviour expert, who moved to the UK in 2021, announced in December 2023 that she had been diagnosed with colon cancer.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: TV star Mel Schilling gives cancer update.
Stream the world’s best reality, entertainment and true-crime shows free on 7plus
“I’m feeling a little flat actually, to be totally honest with you,” she said on UK radio station Magic Radio.
“I’m going through chemo, I’m on my third cycle now and I’m just starting to feel a bit sick.
“It sort of feels like being hungover, like I’ve been drinking all night.
“I’m just now trying to find the way to juggle everything, because I’m not stopping working.
“This thing is not beating me. I’m here to fight, I just need to make some adaptions.”
One key change for the TV star is finding time in her day to focus on herself.
“I love my work, it’s just kind of doing my passion, so for me it’s very tempting to just say yes to everything,” she said.
“So, (I’m) surrounding myself with the right team, making sure I’ve got people there to support me and actually encourage me to say no, if it’s something that’s not really going to be valuable and meaningful for me.
“And (I’m) just having that time with my gorgeous family and friends.”
When she revealed her cancer diagnosis in December, Schilling said she knew something wasn’t right.
She said that, about a month before learning that she had the disease, she had been filming in Australia when she 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 said at the time.
“I saw my GP in Sydney and he put it down to constipation, gave me some laxatives and sent me on my way.”
Schilling said she “knew something still wasn’t right” so booked in for a scan after her family arrived back in the UK.
“This week I had planned to travel to Northern Ireland with my family to spend Christmas with loved ones,” she said at the time.
“Instead, tomorrow morning, I’m checking in to hospital to have an operation to remove a 5cm tumour in my colon, a tumour that, had it gone undetected for much longer, would have killed me.”
She added that it was expected she would make a full recovery.
Colon cancer treatment is usually surgery to remove the tumour.
Many can be asymptomatic at first but symptoms can include a change in bowel habits, stomach discomfort, weakness and weight loss, according to Mayo Clinic.
The Australian Department of Health recommends colon cancer screenings for people over 50 every two years.
Ninety per cent of cases can be successfully treated if found early.