MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥� Australian comedian and actor Magda Szubanski, best known for roles in the television sitcom 鈥淜ath and Kim鈥� and the movie 鈥淏abe,鈥� announced on Thursday she had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer.
The 64-year-old Melbourne resident posted on social media that she had started treatment for stage four , which she described as a 鈥渞are and fast-moving blood cancer.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 serious, but I鈥檝e started one of the best treatments available (the Nordic protocol), and I鈥檓 lucky to be getting absolutely world-class care here in Melbourne,鈥� Szubanski posted.
鈥淚 won鈥檛 sugar-coat it: it鈥檚 rough. But I鈥檓 hopeful. I鈥檓 being lovingly cared for by friends and family, my medical team is brilliant, and I鈥檝e never felt more held by the people around me,鈥� she added.
Szubanski said that she had shaved her head before appearing in a video 鈥渋n anticipation of it all falling out in a couple of weeks.鈥� That was an apparent reference to undergoing chemotherapy.
Szubanski received international acclaim for her role as the farmer鈥檚 wife Esme Hoggett in the 1995 movie 鈥淏abe.鈥� The movie that tells the story of a pig that wants the job of a sheepdog was nominated for seven Academy Awards.
Szubanski reprised the role in the 1998 sequel: 鈥淏abe: Pig in the City.鈥�
She played sports-loving Sharon Strzelecki in Australian sitcom 鈥淜ath and Kim.鈥� The series ran from 2002 to 2005 and inspired an American remake with the same name.
Szubanski voiced the role of Miss Viola in the animated films 鈥淗appy Feet鈥� in 2006 and 鈥淗appy Feet Two鈥� in 2011. Both were produced and directed by .
Szubanski was born in Liverpool, England, on April 12, 1961, and moved to Melbourne with her family in 1966.
Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press
