‘Babe’ Actress Magda Szubanski Reveals Stage 4 Cancer Diagnosis

The 64-year-old actress has been diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare and very aggressive type of blood disease.

Magda Szubanski poses during the City of Sydney CityTalks in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 29, 2019. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Magda Szubanski warmed hearts with her layered and endearing performance in the award-winning 1995 film “Babe.” Today, the Australian comedic actress sports a shaved head, a far cry from the grey-haired updo she wore when playing the farmer’s wife in the wholesome pig-led comedy-drama.

Szubanski was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer—a very rare and very aggressive type of blood disease known as mantle cell lymphoma. Affecting roughly 1 in 200,000 people each year, there is currently no cure for this form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but treatments may help manage symptoms, the Mayo Clinic reports.

In light of her diagnosis, the actress remains positive as she embarks on the grueling health battle that lies ahead.

“It is one of the nasty ones, unfortunately,” she said in an Instagram video on Wednesday, pointing out that she shaved her head in anticipation of her hair falling out.

“But the good thing is, I’m surrounded by beautiful friends and family and an incredible medical support team,” she said. “It’s pretty confronting ... but new treatments keep coming down the pipeline all the time.”

Mantle cell lymphoma can arise at any age, but is typically diagnosed in those between the ages of 60 and 70.

Szubanski, 64, said doctors only discovered the “obscure cancer” after a routine breast screening indicated she had enlarged lymph nodes. Feeling unwell for quite some time, she requested additional blood tests, which ultimately led to her diagnosis.

“So the takeaway is—get tested and listen to your body!” she captioned her post.

Born in Liverpool, England, Szubanski moved to Melbourne with her family at the age of 5.

After appearing in “Babe” and the 1998 film “Babe: Pig in the City,” the actress went on to star in the Australian sitcom “Kath & Kim” and the soap opera “Neighbours.” She is also known for voicing the character Miss Viola in the 2006 animated musical “Happy Feet” and its 2011 sequel “Happy Feet Two.”

In her post, Szubanski praised the medical care she was receiving 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,” she wrote.

“For now, just know I’m in good hands, good spirits—but I reserve my yuman [sic] right to be a cranky old moll. Love you all, Mags.”