“I have an autoimmune scenario and you’ve got to be realistic and do your best to manage it,” she says, adding that for the most part, her fans and commentators have been supportive of her public journey.
“What I’ve always wanted to say to people – and this series gives me the opportunity to make this point – is that my health fundamentals are really sound.
I’ve gone and had heart checks and I’ve never had any problems. But when I had the proper definitive tests to have my arteries checked, I was fine."
Magda’s Big Health Check asks us all to be more intelligent about the assumptions we make about people who are overweight.
"My issue is more with blood sugars and always has been. We all have unique genetics and there’s a lot of confusing information out there.”
“I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, [but] my nutrition isn’t so great. I exercise more than people think.
I grew up sporty. There’s a whole heap of things that contributes to a person’s health and wellbeing, so we’ve got to stop blaming individuals. I’m not exonerating myself from personal responsibility, but we’ve got to be looking at the facts. What are the factors working against you?”
In the series, Szubanski meets everyday people who’ve embarked on their own health journeys, plus she encourages viewers to set themselves up with healthy habits now – because it’s never too early to take care of yourself.
“I don’t want kids to end up where I am. I find that distressing,” Szubanski tells WHO, insisting that prevention is key and that starts within the family home.
She says, “Emergency wards aren’t full of people who’ve been in traffic accidents and fallen off ladders, they’re full of people with chronic illnesses. It would take so much pressure off our health system if we all educated ourselves.”
Magda’s Big Health Check is an eye-opener in every sense of the word. It’s upfront, honest and at times shocking, but it also proves that taking control of your health and future can be simple, and that can start with a visit to your GP. “I wish a show like this was around when I was younger,” Szubanski says. “Because I think it would have changed my life.”