Magda Szubanski: Beloved Australian actress warns fans about social media scam impersonating cancer battle
Kath and Kim star Magda Szubanski has warned her fans not to be fooled by a social media post pretending to be the beloved Aussie star asking for money amid her battle with cancer.
The 64-year-old comedian and actress took to social media at the weekend in an attempt to end the circulation of an Instagram post featuring a woman in a hospital bed, claiming to be Szubanski and soliciting financial support through a fake fundraiser.
“Ok. Dear peeps. This lovely lady — whoever she is — is not me,” Szubanski wrote in an Instagram post alongside the fake photo.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I hope she’s doing well. But please don’t think it’s me, and definitely do not donate money to any medical fundraiser that purports to be me! If you want the real me you can always find me here. Otherwise — it’s a scam.”
“Love to you all.”
Friends and fans took to the comments section of Szubanski’s post with messages of outrage and support for the TV legend who was inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame last year.
Former MasterChef Australia winner and chef Julie Goodwin said: “Bloody lowlifes. Sending you so much love.”
One fan said: “How very appalling to do this!!!”
“Shame on the person who is misrepresenting and manipulating stories and images,” a third fan said.
Another fan said they were sending “🧡to the one and only Magda Szubanski, hope you are feeling stronger every day”.
“Magda, you are a HERO. The person attempting this? Not so much. Know that you have a steady stream of love and good vibes from across the pond,” another fan added.
One Kath and Kim viewer played off the situation with some light-hearted humour.
“Plot twist: Kim set this scam up to pay off her video shop fines,” they said.
Szubanski revealed in May last year that she had been diagnosed with stage four Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a rare and aggressive blood cancer.
She has since been undergoing intensive treatment in Melbourne using the Nordic Protocol, a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
The last time Szubanski updated her followers on her health battle was in August with a video filmed from hospital.
In the clip, she thanked a young fan who dressed as her iconic Kath & Kim character Sharon Strzelecki for Book Week, admitting that “chemo is smacking me around” and that the gesture had lifted her spirits.
