TV

MAFS’ expert Mel Schilling admits drama comes into play in the matchmaking process

''That's always going to be part of it – we're making a television show - but we're all about putting people together with the strongest compatibility we can muster up.''
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The experts on Married At First Sight Australia have come under fire for the disastrous love matches they’ve made, but psychologist Mel Schilling insists they’ve had great success, despite so many nasty splits.

“Sure, there’s a low number of couples who stay together forever, but we look at the personal journeys people go through,” she tells.

Mel with fellow experts John Aitken and Trisha Stratford.

“The things they learn set them up for positive relationships, not necessarily with the person they were paired with, but with other people in the real world. We’ve seen lots of engagements and babies.”

Asked if the experts simply match wildly incompatible brides and grooms to create drama, Mel, 46, admits, “That’s always going to be part of it – we’re making a television show – but we’re all about putting people together with the strongest compatibility we can muster up.”

The Aussie-born, Bali-based blonde married her husband Gareth Brisbane, 46, last July and confesses the big day gave her real insight into what the show’s participants go through.

But Mel adds, “I also learn so much from them and I’m taking those lessons home to poor old hubby. I’m saying to Gareth, ‘Our fight style is not right – we’ve got to work on this!'”

Mel and her husband Gareth. Source: Instagram/mel_schilling1

The pair, who have a four-year-old daughter named Maddie, met on dating site eHarmony, but before that, Mel admits she’d “tried different sizes and shapes of blokes, and certainly chosen all the wrong ones”.

Her top tip for hooking up online? “Be clear on what you want before you dive in. If you want a long-term relationship, look for sites where someone has to part with some cash and fill in some questionnaires – that way, they’ve got some skin in the game.”

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