Beloved actor and comedian Magda Szubanski has revealed she is facing a deeply personal and harrowing health battle, after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
The 64-year-old star, best known for her iconic roles in Kath & Kim, Babe, and Ride Like a Girl, shared the devastating news in an emotional message posted to social media on Wednesday.
“Hello, my lovelies,” she began, her trademark warmth shining through despite the gravity of her words. “The head is shaved in anticipation of it all falling out in a couple of weeks.”
Szubanski went on to reveal that she has been diagnosed with a “very rare, very aggressive lymphoma”, which she described as “one of the nasty ones unfortunately”.
The news has rocked fans across the country, many of whom have followed Szubanski’s decades-long career and have embraced her not only as a performer, but as a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and mental health awareness.
Despite the confronting nature of her diagnosis, Szubanski offered a glimpse of her enduring spirit. “It’s pretty confronting. It is a full-on one,” she said. “But new treatments keep coming down the pipeline all the time … I’ve just got to (laughs). What do you? What are you gonna do?”
In the post, she expressed gratitude for the people around her, noting, “The good thing is I’m surrounded by beautiful friends and family and an incredible medical support team. Honestly, we have the best in the world here in Australia.”
She also asked fans and well-wishers to keep their distance physically due to her compromised immune system: “Please keep a distance though because I will be very immunocompromised. So as I can’t hug no more.”
The actor indicated that more information will be shared in an official statement soon.
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Szubanski has long been open about her private struggles. In her acclaimed 2014 memoir Reckoning, she candidly wrote about her complex relationship with food, identity, and her sexuality. Her public coming out in 2012 was a landmark moment, one she later described as among the most frightening experiences of her life.
Messages of love and support have flooded social media, with fans, fellow actors and public figures rallying around one of Australia’s most cherished cultural voices.
Image: Instagram
