What happened to Ben Lewis’ wife? Late Australian actor was Melle Stewart’s sole caretaker following life threatening incident

Ben Lewis, the deceased Australian actor, was a remarkable actor who acted in The Phantom of the Opera and Love Never Dies.

He died from bowel cancer at the age of 46. Lewis spent most of his time taking care of his wife, Melle Stewart, after a catastrophic event, life-changing brain injury.

In June 2021, Stewart, a gifted stage actress who appeared in productions such as Mamma Mia! and Kiss Me Kate, experienced a rare stroke caused by an adverse reaction to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

At the time, she was 40 and had just received her first dose of the vaccine while Lewis and Stewart lived and worked as successful theatre performers in London.

Two weeks later, Stewart woke up feeling unwell and lost movement rapidly on the right side of her body. She was taken to hospital, where doctors told her she had developed Vaccine-Induced Thrombocytopenic Thrombosis, or VITT, a very rare blood-clotting disorder that can occur after vaccination, in rare instances.

The condition caused a major stroke, which left her unable to speak or move one side of her body. Stewart received an emergency procedure on her brain at St. George’s Hospital in London.

In order to relieve pressure on her brain, surgeons had to remove part of her skull.

After three weeks in an induced coma, she spent several months in the hospital, undergoing rehabilitation.

Over time, she learned to walk, talk and write again, but continued to live with many physical challenges and had significant speech difficulties.

Ben Lewis as a devoted caregiver to Melle Stewart

During her ordeal, Ben Lewis became her full-time caregiver, pausing his career to be at her side. Friends and family said the couple's connection was "extraordinary" and Lewis became her primary support while she learned important skills and adjusted to her new life.

In 2022, the pair went back to Australia and moved to Brisbane to be closer to family while Stewart continued her rehabilitation.

Even though Stewart’s health condition was severe, both Lewis and Stewart expressed their continued public support for vaccination.

Stewart reported that she had received additional doses of the Pfizer vaccine after her reaction and stated that she remained “a staunch advocate for vaccination.”

Their families set up a GoFundMe to help with Stewart’s ongoing rehabilitation and medical costs, which was supported by the Australian arts community. Stewart said in interviews that she was “grieving” her old life as a performer but nonetheless fully intended to be positive and continue seeking ways to find new meaning, including by helping other stroke survivors.

"I currently have multiple speech and language therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions every week. All of these sessions are helping me regain strength in my leg, my arm, and of course, my speech," Melle Stewart wrote in the GoFundMe campaign.

Lewis, meanwhile, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in early 2024 just as his wife’s subsequent recovery had appeared to stabilise.

Despite having surgery and chemotherapy, his condition deteriorated and he passed away in Sydney on October 6, 2025 at the age of 46.