Magda Szubanski: Comedian, Kath and Kim star reveals devastating details about gruelling blood cancer battle

Legendary Australian actress and comedian Magda Szubanski has opened up about the devastating reality of her gruelling cancer battle and the uncertain prognosis she faces.

The Kath and Kim star was diagnosed with stage four mantle cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive blood cancer, in May 2025 after experiencing severe symptoms including pain in her bones that felt like they were “splitting”.

After undergoing extensive chemotherapy, the 65-year-old announced in February this year she was in remission.

Now, in her first public interview since her diagnosis, Szubanski has revealed the fight is far from over, detailing what it’s like to go through treatment and live with what she describes as an “incurable relapse in cancer.”

“So, it’s almost sure that it will come back. It’s a question of ‘when’ and then ‘how bad’,” Szubanski told 60 Minutes host Tracy Grimshaw.

“The median survival rate is eight-and-a-half years. So, I could go less, or I could go more.”

The comedy icon reflected on the time leading up to her diagnosis when she suffered symptoms so excruciating she knew something sinister was to blame.

“I knew something was wrong. I just felt so unwell,” she said.

“It would wake me up in the middle of the night, literally wake up with my sorts of dream voice saying ‘you’re dying, you’re dying’.

“So, it was like, dude, there’s something wrong here. You know, there’s something really wrong.”

She said living with the knowledge that she might have limited time left has changed the way she views mortality.

“I know all of us live, with a Damocles sword hanging over our heads,” Szubanski added.

“For those of us who, you know, it hangs by only a couple of strands, it’s a very different feeling.

“It is just a different state of consciousness. It’s a different awareness of death. It’s not abstract.”

Szubanski likened her chemotherapy treatment to a “multi-car pile-up”.

“I’m not being a Pollyanna about this because I think that’s not fair to people to do that,” she said.

“It was freaking hard, but when I say it was doable, it was. My results put me in good stead, but it can change.”

During the TV appearance, Szubanski also revealed details about her family’s health troubles, saying her father was diagnosed with cancer when she was six.

Her mother and sister also faced their own battles with pancreatic cancer and lymphoma respectively.

At the time of her cancer diagnosis announcement in an emotional social media video, Szubanski thanked her fans for their support.

“Lovelies. Well. Some not great news. I’ve been diagnosed with stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma — a rare and fast-moving blood cancer,” she wrote on Instagram in February.

“It’s serious, but I’ve started one of the best treatments available (the Nordic protocol), 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. “