Magda Szubanski: Everything to know about Magda Szubanski’s career and why the Aussie TV icon is so loved as she reveals shock cancer diagnosis | Explainer

There’s no denying actress and comedian Magda Szubanski is an Australian icon.

So of course, many have been left devastated after the 64-year-old revealed her blood cancer diagnosis, stage 4 mantle Cell Lymphoma in a video on Thursday afternoon.

Szubanski put on a brave face as she revealed she’d started treatment for the “rare and fast-moving” cancer, while fans shared their well-wishes in the comments section.

Watch the video above.

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At the end of the emotionally charged video, she even broke out into a little laugh declaring, “What are you gonna do?”

That little moment of laughter is just part of the reason Szubanski is completely and utterly beloved by so many; her ability to find laughter in even the darkest of times, something she’s done many times over her incredible career.

Szubanski, who has Polish heritage, was born in the UK and moved to Australia in her school years, living in Victoria before becoming a household name.

It was her appearance in the show The D Generation which really helped put the actress on the map in the ’80s.

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Other stars of the Aussie sketch comedy show include Jane Turner and Tom Gleisner. 

She is also known for the Michelle and Ferret skit on sketch program Fast Forward. 

Another series she starred in in the ’90s was Full Frontal, before one of her most iconic roles came in the form of the 1995 movie Babe as Esme Hoggett. 

Perhaps the role Szubanski is most recognised for is the sports-mad Sharon Strzelecki in Kath & Kim, whom she played opposite Jane Turner and Gina Riley.

She also played Brett’s mum Lorraine Craig in the hit show.

Only recently, she reflected on playing Lorraine in a funny post on her Instagram account: “#brettsmum just caught a repeat of @kathandkim and I think playing Brett’s Mum may be a career highlight. ‘You know whyyyy???… Because she’s a b–ch!'”

She also made a memorable appearance on the red carpet with the late actor Heath Ledger in character as Strzelecki, screaming over the Hollywood hunk.

Ledger playfully kissed her on camera in a moment that will go down in television history.

She recently told some fans who might not know the truth about the skit, that she was in character, writing: “I don’t know how many times I have to correct the record and tell people it’s not some rando fan!!

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“It’s me, @MagdaSzubanski as my character Sharon Strzelecki from Aussie sitcom Kath and Kim.

“That said, Heath had no idea ‘Sharon’ was gonna scream like that and he responded like a true Sharon fan. He pashed her!

“I’ll describe this incident in detail another time Beautiful #heath.”

She was also the host of The Weakest Link Australia.

Not only is she an incredible actress and comedian, but she’s also a passionate advocate for same sex marriage and LGBTQIA rights.

She came out publicly in 2012.

“I feel so free now,” she previously told Now to Love’s The Australian Women’s Weekly.

“I am so glad to have come out. It’s so free. And easy. Although I still very much believe that people should come out on their own terms in their own time. Because you don’t know what is going on in someone’s life,” she said.

“But if I could have said to myself at 11, 12 or 13 that one day it would not only be OK to be gay but that I would be a prominent face of a campaign which allowed gay people to marry the people that they loved, and the Australian community would accept that, I think that would have changed just about everything for me.”

She also told the publication about Kath & Kim that she remembers “the constant laughing on set”.

“I feel like I’ve spent the better part of my life being paid to p–s myself laughing!” she concluded.

In her diagnosis announcement video on Thursday, the comedian told fans: “It’s serious, but I’ve started one of the best treatments available… and I’m lucky to be getting absolutely world-class care here in Melbourne.

“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.

“So if you see me out and about – don’t hug me, kiss me, or breathe anywhere near me!” her caption continued.

“Wave enthusiastically from a safe distance and know I love you madly.”

Szubanski’s “obscure” cancer was discovered incidentally via a breast screen, she said, when doctors noticed her lymph nodes “were up”.

“I’ve been feeling pretty rats–t for ages. So I asked for extra bloods and – voila!” she added, urging her followers, “Get tested and listen to your body.”

“For now, just know I’m in good hands, good spirits – but I reserve my human right to be a cranky old moll,” she finished the caption, signing off with her signature humour.

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