Kelly Osbourne, Sam Neill, Kylie Minogue among host of celebrities to rally behind comedian Magda Szubanski after cancer diagnosis
The Kath and Kim star announced she had stage-four mantle cell lymphoma, describing it as a 'rare and fast-moving blood cancer'.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today
The 64-year-old went public with the diagnosis in an Instagram post on Thursday in which her head was shaved, saying it was in preparation for her treatment in which it would fall out.
The comment section of the post was flooded with love and support, notably from a host of celebrities both Australian and international.
Kelly Osbourne, daughter of Black Sabbath rocker Ozzy Osbourne, shared her adoration for Szubanski, saying her character Sharon from Kath and Kim 'got me through some of my darkest days'.
'I know you don't know me but I wanted to share with you that every time I don't feel well whether it be mental or physical illness I put on Kath and Kim,' she wrote.
'I want to take the time to reach out and tell you how much I f****n love you. You have helped me so much if there is ever anything I can do to help/support you on this journey please don't hesitate to reach out.'
British actor Richard E. Grant said: 'WE ALL LOVE YOU SOOOOOO MUCH Mags.'
Notable Australian celebrities also came out in spades to support the beloved comedian including Sam Neill, Terri Irwin, Rebecca Gibney and both Dannii and Kylie Minogue.
'Sending all love,' Kylie wrote.
TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson said all of Australia was behind the comedian in her fight.
'Sending love, strength and every ounce of joy you have given all of us over the decades, to help see you through these difficult times darling Magda,' she wrote.
Szubanski smiled and laughed throughout her video, at one point cackling as she exclaimed 'what are you gonna do?'
'I won't sugar coat it, it's rough,' she wrote of her diagnosis.
'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.'
According to the Leukemia Foundation, mantle cell lymphoma affects the outer-edge — or mantle zone — of B-cells in the lymph node follicle.
It accounts for about five to 10 per cent of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas, with the average age at diagnosis between 60 and 65 years.
Szubanski said she would be lying low while her immune system 'takes a hammering'.
'I've been feeling pretty ratsh*t for ages. So I asked for extra bloods and — voila,' she wrote.
'So the takeaway is, get tested and listen to your body.'
Szubanski is best known for winning the hearts of Australians as the sporty, unlucky-in-love Sharon Strzelecki in sitcom Kath and Kim.
That sparked character roles in the smash-hit movies Babe and Happy Feet (and both sequels) among others.
She first burst onto Australian screens in the mid-1980s after being picked up by ABC talent scouts watching her perform in a university revue.
Her credits include sketch shows Fast Forward and critically acclaimed Big Girl's Blouse, alongside Kath and Kim co-writers Gina Riley and Jane Turner.
The comedian was a prominent marriage equality campaigner after coming out as gay in 2012.
She used her profile to push for a yes vote in the 2017 Australian referendum on same-sex marriage, including a pivotal appearance on the ABC's Q&A program and an address to the National Press Club.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
My wife left me for a bike race. I'm a Tour de France widower
We have football widows. Golf widows. Racing car widows. Even video game widows. Yet now I humbly suggest we have a new category: Tour de France widowers. And I should know. I am one of them. Each year my wife travels to foreign lands via the television to spend time with elite athletes in colourful jerseys as they travel through fairyland locations for the Tour de France, the world's most prestigious bicycle race. She puts on her special yellow (or should I say 'jaune'? ) Tour de France socks and joins the 'couch peloton', blocking out three weeks to watch riders cycle through some of the most beautiful areas on Earth. It's the only sport she truly adores and I fully support her enthusiasm. Indeed, I am in no way threatened by these dashing younger men with their perfect buns and seemingly endless stamina. 'Just think of them as racehorses,' she says. She knows exactly what is going on in the Tour de France: the stakes, the terrain, why grimpeurs (climbers) are the ones to watch during the mountainous stages. She loves the castles, the chateaux, the churches and the villages, the cheering and sometimes chaotic crowds, the incredible helicopter shots, the history and the rivalry between the riders. Loading Her love affair with 'Le Tour' is decades long. She cheered when Australia's Cadel Evans won the Tour – as well as the hearts of the nation – in 2011, becoming one of the few non-Europeans ever to do so. She was watching when Lance Armstrong won his too-good-to-be-true string of victories towards the end of his Tour career. She's seen it all: the highs, the lows, the drug scandals, the big accidents, the fans with flares, the tacks on the road. Indeed, for a sports-obsessed nation such as ours, it's refreshing to celebrate a sport that doesn't involve tries, wickets or goals. She's almost at the point where she'll set up an exercise bike in the apartment and race along with the competitors as she watches it on TV, a glass of champagne in hand, perhaps only pausing as I hand her a water bottle. As for me, the only thing I know about bikes and bike riding comes from riding BMXs in the 1980s (shout-out to Nicole Kidman for her breakthrough role in BMX Bandits). I just let all the facts and figures of the Tour de France wash over me in a blur. I have no idea what the 'maillot jaune' is or why the 'polka-dot jersey' is also kind of a big deal in the Tour. I am puzzled as to why being named the 'most combative rider' is a good thing.
The Age
8 hours ago
- The Age
My wife left me for a bike race. I'm a Tour de France widower
We have football widows. Golf widows. Racing car widows. Even video game widows. Yet now I humbly suggest we have a new category: Tour de France widowers. And I should know. I am one of them. Each year my wife travels to foreign lands via the television to spend time with elite athletes in colourful jerseys as they travel through fairyland locations for the Tour de France, the world's most prestigious bicycle race. She puts on her special yellow (or should I say 'jaune'? ) Tour de France socks and joins the 'couch peloton', blocking out three weeks to watch riders cycle through some of the most beautiful areas on Earth. It's the only sport she truly adores and I fully support her enthusiasm. Indeed, I am in no way threatened by these dashing younger men with their perfect buns and seemingly endless stamina. 'Just think of them as racehorses,' she says. She knows exactly what is going on in the Tour de France: the stakes, the terrain, why grimpeurs (climbers) are the ones to watch during the mountainous stages. She loves the castles, the chateaux, the churches and the villages, the cheering and sometimes chaotic crowds, the incredible helicopter shots, the history and the rivalry between the riders. Loading Her love affair with 'Le Tour' is decades long. She cheered when Australia's Cadel Evans won the Tour – as well as the hearts of the nation – in 2011, becoming one of the few non-Europeans ever to do so. She was watching when Lance Armstrong won his too-good-to-be-true string of victories towards the end of his Tour career. She's seen it all: the highs, the lows, the drug scandals, the big accidents, the fans with flares, the tacks on the road. Indeed, for a sports-obsessed nation such as ours, it's refreshing to celebrate a sport that doesn't involve tries, wickets or goals. She's almost at the point where she'll set up an exercise bike in the apartment and race along with the competitors as she watches it on TV, a glass of champagne in hand, perhaps only pausing as I hand her a water bottle. As for me, the only thing I know about bikes and bike riding comes from riding BMXs in the 1980s (shout-out to Nicole Kidman for her breakthrough role in BMX Bandits). I just let all the facts and figures of the Tour de France wash over me in a blur. I have no idea what the 'maillot jaune' is or why the 'polka-dot jersey' is also kind of a big deal in the Tour. I am puzzled as to why being named the 'most combative rider' is a good thing.
7NEWS
10 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Derek Hough, from Dancing With The Stars, expecting first child
Bindi Irwin's Dancing With The Stars partner has announced he is expecting his first child. Professional dancer Derek Hough, 40, announced earlier this week that his wife Hayley Erbert Hough was pregnant in a video on Instagram. 'We can't believe the biggest thing to happen to us could be so small,' the caption read. In another post showing the couple holding ultrasound pictures, Derek said: 'Already so loved'. Hough won Dancing With The Stars alongside celebrity partner Bindi Irwin in 2015. Irwin congratulated the pair on their exciting news. 'Congratulations!!!!! Hugs from our entire family,' she said. Following in his sister's footsteps, Robert Irwin announced in April that he would also be putting on his dancing shoes and joining the show. 'Bindi, thank you for inspiring me to take on this next adventure. Dancing With The Stars, I'm so grateful for the life-changing experience ahead,' he said at the time. Hough was on Dancing With The Stars from 2007 to 2016, winning the show six times with his partners. His sister is actor and dancer Julianne Hough, who also appeared on the TV show for five seasons.
