Iconic Australian actress and comedian Magda Szubanski has announced she has been diagnosed with cancer.
Taking to social media on Thursday (May 29th), the comedian, arguably best known for her role as Sharon Strzelecki in the iconic Kath & Kim TV series, revealed she has “stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma—a rare and fast-moving blood cancer.”
“It’s serious, but I’ve started one of the best treatments available (the Nordic protocol), and I’m lucky to be getting absolutely world-class care here in Melbourne,” Szubanski’s statement reads.
“I won’t sugar-coat it: it’s rough. But I’m hopeful. I’m being lovingly cared for by friends and family, my medical team is brilliant, and I’ve never felt more held by the people around me.
“I’ll be lying very low while my immune system takes a hammering, so if you see me out and about—don’t hug me, kiss me, or breathe anywhere near me! Wave enthusiastically from a safe distance and know I love you madly.
“This is an obscure cancer and was only discovered incidentally via a breast screen where they found my lymph nodes were up. TBH, I’ve been feeling pretty ratshit for ages. So I asked for extra bloods and – voila! So the take away is – get tested and listen to your body!”
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Szubanksi first rose to fame in ’90s sketch comedy series Fast Forward and Full Frontal, which she featured in alongside Kath & Kim co-stars, Jane Turner and Gina Riley, as well as other famous names such as Eric Bana and and Shaun Micallef.
The trio went on to launch the first all-female Australian sketch comedy show Big Girl’s Blouse, where the famous Kath & Kim characters were first brought to life, before the show launched in 2002.
Szubanski went on to score multiple Logie and AFI Award nominations for her work in Kath & Kim and won the Most Popular Comedy Personality category at the Logies in 1991, 1992 and 1993 for Fast Forward and Full Frontal.
