AFL icon Dani Laidley reveals she’s been diagnosed with ‘very rare’ brain tumour

AFL icon Dani Laidley has revealed she has been diagnosed with a ‘very rare’ brain tumour after suffering a spate of bad headaches.

Beloved AFL figure Dani Laidley has revealed she has been diagnosed with a “very rare” brain tumour that will require surgery to remove.

Laidely, 58, said she suddenly began getting headaches late last year and scans detected a tumour, which left her wondering if she needed to ”wind everything up”.

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 “It was as blunt as ‘you have a brain tumour, here’s a referral, off you go’. Donna and I went really quiet,” Laidley said on the latest episode of ‘The Imperfects’.

“For Donna to be quiet, you’ve got to understand, something’s not normal. We drove back in the car and we didn’t speak for quite a while.

“At that point in time, we didn’t know what sort of brain tumour. When you say brain tumour it’s like getting hit over the head with a sledgehammer.”

The North Melbourne premiership player and former coach was informed she would need to undergo surgery to have it removed but three weeks later found out it was a benign tumour, and therefore wasn’t life threatening.

But because of its location, the tumour could obstruct the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and put pressure on the spinal cord, meaning it still must be removed.

Laidley revealed the surgeon spoke at length to her about what the diagnosis meant and it eased a lot of her fears.

“I can sit here today and use a quote from my surgeon, it’s not going to kill me, but being on my spinal cord it has to come out,” Laidley said.

“It’s sort of like walking around with a stone in your shoe. Some days it really hurts and other days it’s OK.

Danielle Laidley and Donna Leckie. Pic: Carly Ravenhall

“We walked out of there thinking well it is a brain tumour but we’re going to be OK,” she said.

“That was a big relief but it really knocked our socks off.

“You start to think ‘Well what do I need to do to wind everything up’ and that sort of stuff. That took its toll, so to hear that was good.

“But then every now and again I’ll think ‘gee, I’ve got a brain tumour’, which is the downside of it. But the upside is a great upside, it can be fixed and we can get on with our life.”

Dani Laidley with her partner Donna. Picture: Mark Stewart

Dani Laidley was a regular at North Melbourne games before relocating to Perth. Picture by Michael Klein

Laidley recently sought to make a return to coaching football in the AFLW in 2023.

But after being snubbed by the Eagles and Bulldogs she put her efforts into other passions.

Residing in Perth, the 58-year-old runs a supported independent living business for individuals with disabilities and is an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community.

But the health scare has meant Laidley has had to take a step back from her community work.

Recently she had to cancel an appearance at the Daylesford Chillout Festival as she “just couldn’t get out of bed”.

And in that moment the beloved figure revealed she knew it was time to speak out about what she was going through.

 “To be honest that’s the first time I’ve publicly said anything about it,” Laidley said in regards to the brain tumour.

 “I think it’s probably time not to keep it private but to put it out there like I’ve probably done with the rest of my life, to let people know and understand you can do these things but with the right care and empathy and team around you everything’s going to be OK.”

Laidley was drafted by West Coast and made her VFL/AFL debut in 1987 before moving to North Melbourne ahead of the 1993 season.

At the Kangaroos she would play a vital role in the club’s 1996 premiership success.

Originally published as AFL icon Dani Laidley reveals she’s been diagnosed with ‘very rare’ brain tumour