Magda’s famous friends share touching update on cancer battle
Close friends of Magda Szubanski, David Campbell and Lisa Hewitt, have reassured fans with an update on her health.
Magda Szubanski is getting by with a little help from her friends.
The Aussie actor, best-known for her role as Sharon Strzelecki in the iconic Kath & Kim series, is currently battling stage four cancer.
According to her close friends David Campbell and his wife Lisa Hewitt, she’s laughing through it with her signature sense of humour.
“She talked about the fact that having that outpouring of emotion, and the support that she’s felt, has been instrumental in her getting through everything,” Hewitt told Stellar’s podcast Something to Talk About.
“I can’t speak for her own personal health, but she’s an incredible person, and we are so fortunate to have her in our lives,” she continued.
Campbell assured fans that Szubanski “laughs at everything”.
“She laughs at herself. And she made us laugh at the cancer with her,” he said.
“And they say laughter is the best medicine. It’s kind of true. It does make people feel better.”
Szubanski opens up about cancer diagnosis
Szubanski shared the news of her cancer diagnosis in May in a heartfelt Instagram post.
“Lovelies. Well. Some not great news. I’ve been diagnosed with stage four Mantle Cell Lymphoma—a rare and fast-moving blood cancer,” she wrote.
She confirmed she was receiving treatment 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,” the actor shared.
She asked fans to keep their distance if they spotted her in public, given how immunocompromised she had become.
“Wave enthusiastically from a safe distance and know I love you madly,” she suggested.
Szubanski revealed that the aggressive form of cancer was discovered via a breast screening, where her lymph nodes were up.
“I’ve been feeling pretty rats**t for ages. So I asked for extra bloods and – voila!
“So, the take away is — get tested and listen to your body.”
Szubanski addresses her cancer at the 2025 Logie Awards
In August, Szubanski was inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Molly Meldrum, Graham Kennedy, Bert Newton and Rebecca Gibney
She gave her acceptance speech via video.
“I want to say first of all — let’s get this out of the way — I have not been awarded this honour because I have cancer.
“I am getting this because of 40 years of hard work: lobbying, bribing, threatening, whatever it took,” she joked.
“Finally, it has all paid off, so I don’t feel like an impostor, I feel like I have earned it and I am thrilled,” Szubanski shared.
She thanked the Australian public for supporting her on her cancer journey, saying that the support she has felt has been “like a tsunami”.
“When I go online and look at those messages, every time, my heart lifts, and I feel that much stronger to deal with the cancer.”
What else is Szubanski known for?
Szubanski is beloved for her role as Sharon Strzelecki, a character she developed with fellow Kath & Kim cast members Jane Turner and Gina Riley on the sketch comedy show Big Girl’s Blouse.
She also starred as Esme Cordelia Hoggett in the children’s film Babe and its sequel, Babe: Pig in the City.
She acted opposite Steve Irwin in The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, and leant her voice to films like Happy Feet and 100% Wolf.
Originally published as Magda’s famous friends share touching update on cancer battle
