Kellie Finlayson appears relaxed as she arrives for her In Conversation event in Sydney's Newtown amid cancer battle - alongside pregnant TV star Liv Phyland
The AFL WAG, who is battling cancer, appeared in good spirits as she arrived for her In Conversation event in Sydney 's Newtown on Wednesday, to celebrate the release of her tome, There Must Be More!
The 29-year-old appeared relaxed as she made her way inside the event after strolling down the busy street.
Kellie dressed in a casually chic ensemble including a black top under a matching cardigan.
She added a pair of sparkling pale grey jeans with glittering accents and a pair of pointed heels.
From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.
The AFL WAG, who is battling cancer, appeared in good spirits as she arrived for her In Conversation event in Sydney's Newtown on Wednesday
She opted for a clean makeup look with a nude lipstick and wore her blonde hair down around her face.
Also at the event was host Liv Phyland who recently announced she is expecting her second child.
The television host covered up her baby bump in under a camel trench coat worn with brown boots.
It comes after Kellie revealed how her husband's Port Adelaide teammates quietly stepped in to cover the cost of her dream $10,000 wedding ring as she faced mounting medical bills from life-saving cancer treatment.
The act of generosity, led by veteran midfielder Travis Boak, made her dream wedding possible when the couple's finances were stretched thin by chemotherapy and hospital stays.
Kellie and husband Jeremy Finlayson had planned to marry in October 2023.
But everything changed when Kellie's oncologist gave her the devastating news - her bowel cancer had returned and spread to her lungs. It was terminal.
Doctors warned she could lose her hair in the coming weeks, prompting the couple to move the ceremony forward.
With just over three weeks to organise it, their wedding took place at Tennyson Beach in South Australia, surrounded by close friends and family.
Kellie never thought her dream ring would be part of the day.
'When we knew we had to act quickly, I didn't even think about things like the ring anymore,' she said.
'It just wasn't something we could afford.'
That's when Jeremy's teammates stepped in. They pooled together to buy the exact ring Kellie had once hoped for.
'It meant the world to me,' she said. 'They didn't just show up for Jeremy, they showed up for me, too.'
The day was full of emotion. Sophia, their 19-month-old daughter, walked down the aisle holding a bouquet of daisies.
Kellie followed arm in arm with her father and maid of honour.
'There wasn't a dry eye in the room,' she said.
Jeremy watched on, overwhelmed. 'Watching Kell walk down the aisle with her dad was just breathtaking,' he said. 'One of the most precious moments of my life.'
He made a quiet promise to their daughter: 'I made a vow to Sophia to take care of her while her mummy can't, and I'll continue to do so for the rest of my life.'
Kellie was first diagnosed with stage-four bowel cancer in 2021 at just 25.
At the time, she was three months postpartum and mistook her symptoms for normal recovery.
It wasn't until she noticed blood in her stool that she sought medical help.
Scans uncovered a large bowel blockage. Surgery and chemotherapy followed.
For a brief moment, there was hope the cancer had gone.
But by Christmas 2022, the disease had metastasised to her lungs.
The diagnosis crushed plans for more children. Chemotherapy left her infertile.
Kellie and Jeremy tried to grow their family through surrogacy. Seven attempts failed.
She details the grief, pain and resilience in her memoir There Must Be More!
In it, she describes the physical side effects of treatment, including terrifying anaphylactic reactions.
She recounts the emotional toll of missing moments with Sophia and spending anniversaries in hospital.
Kellie is now an ambassador for the Jodi Lee Foundation, urging Australians to take bowel symptoms seriously.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Danica Patrick weighs in on Sydney Sweeney's 'anti-woke' American Eagle ad after furious backlash
Motorsports legend Danica Patrick has entered the fray on Sydney Sweeney 's controversial American Eagle ad, not sure why people are upset with the brand's latest campaign. Last week, the company rolled out its fall commercial lineup featuring the 27-year-old in various poses and scenarios with the tagline, 'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans'. The obvious reference to her 'genes' didn't sit well with many people on social media, who accused the ads of being a racial dog whistle. Patrick was not in that camp, months after she was on the campaign trail helping Donald Trump get back to the White House. 'Can anyone tell me what's wrong with the new AE ads?! Very confused,' Patrick posted on her Instagram story. Sweeney's ad is still in the public eye with billboards and in storefronts nationwide despite the backlash. American Eagle Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers said the campaign is designed to be flashier than competitors' and features Sweeney as one of the most recognizable young stars of the moment Patrick is not the only one to come to Sweeney's aid in the situation, as WWE legend Sgt. Slaughter posted to his X account earlier this week of the 'Euphoria' actress: 'Attention (Sydney Sweeney), YOU GO GIRL & That's An Order!!' Slaughter, born Robert Remus, is a former WWF Heavyweight Champion and wrestled from 1972 to 2014. Last Friday, the 76-year-old made an appearance on SmackDown during a tribute to the late Hulk Hogan, who died last week of a heart attack. While Remus has made it known that he's in Sweeney's corner, much of the internet is still debating the intent behind the advertisement. ESPN analyst David Dennis Jr took to social media, posting his opinion: 'I didn't think anything of the Sydney Sweeney ads. 'But then ACTUAL SCHOLARS ON MESSAGING, EUGENICS AND FASCISM explained what was going on then yes I understood and became pretty mortified because hey sometimes IT'S GOOD TO LISTEN TO EXPERTS'. In a sarcastic post, Dennis Jr continued: 'I'm just happy that these AE ads are making it safe for conventionally attractive blue eyed blonde women to be accepted by society again. They're no longer the scourges of society they once were! FINALLY!' The adverts have divided fans, with one critic calling the clip 'one of the loudest and most obvious racialized dog whistles we've seen and heard in a while.' ESPN analyst David Dennis Jr has lashed out at Sydney Sweeney's controversial advert An article from Salon on the backlash noted that the phrase 'great genes' is 'historically used to celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness' while also branding the campaign 'tone-deaf'. But Alexandria Hurley, a Las Vegas-based publicist, speculated to that the idea to stir the pot was not a mistake at all. 'From a PR perspective, what we're seeing from Sydney Sweeney isn't a 'misstep' or 'Pepsi moment.' It's a calculated brand evolution. The idea that this ad slipped through the cracks underestimates both her and her team,' she explained.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Erin is a gentle and beloved single mum in Melbourne. She's just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's at 29
At just 29, Melbourne mum Erin Kelly is facing the heartbreaking reality that she's living on borrowed time. A single parent to her eight-year-old daughter Evie, Erin has recently been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's - a devastating blow made even more cruel by its rare genetic cause. Now she's in a race against the clock to fund the one treatment that could slow it down. 'There's no chance of me reaching retirement age so I'm doing everything I can now, while I still can,' Erin told the Daily Mail. Alzheimer's typically strikes later in life, but for Erin, it's deeply personal, and terrifyingly genetic. In May 2024, the young mum discovered she carries a rare mutation of the PSEN1 gene, one that guarantees she will develop Alzheimer's earlier than normal. Only about 200 families worldwide carry it. 'With young onset Alzheimer's, they (the specialists) said only 1 per cent of young onset Alzheimer's cases are caused by a genetic mutation,' Erin said. 'I always knew there was a 50/50 chance I'd develop it later in life. But even with my family history, I never imagined it would happen to me this early.' Erin lost her mum to Alzheimer's when she was just 17. Her mum was only 50. After further digging, she's now found out that eight members of her extended family have battled the disease too. However, the PSEN1 mutation is what makes Erin's diagnosis so rare and so aggressive. Doctors can't say much without more tests, but have told Erin that her life expectacny is between another eight to 15 years. The official diagnosis came in July, following a year-long journey of MRIs, specialist consultations and anxious waiting. It was Erin's father who first urged her to get tested for the mutation in May 2024, after she began noticing small lapses and mixed-up words, which she initially dismissed. 'A year ago I contacted Alzheimer's Australia, but they originally said they couldn't help because I didn't have a confirmed diagnosis yet,' she said. 'So, I reached out to many others including neurologists, and they all said they didn't really know what to do with me. But then I ended up with a geriatrician [a doctor specialising in the care of the elderly], and he is helping.' Despite early symptoms and a clear family history, getting answers has been slow and costly. Specialists charged up to $500 a visit. Each scan costs her hundreds more. She has since been referred to a neuropsychologist, speech therapist and dietitian - but couldn't afford to see any of them. Even a medical drink called Souvenaid, formulated to support memory in Alzheimer's patients, was too expensive at $100 a month. 'I've had to pick and choose what I can pay for. I just can't justify that as well, given the position we're in,' she said. Despite her diagnosis, Erin was told she is too young to qualify for Australian clinical trials or subsidised treatment. 'It's like they don't know what to do with me,' she said. But there is a treatment that could help, which is a breakthrough infusion drug called Leqembi. Leqembi, which is administered as an infusion every two weeks, has been shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer's by up to 30 per cent. It works by targeting and removing the sticky amyloid plaques that kill brain cells and cause cognitive decline. There's just one problem - it's only available on a case-by-case basis for people aged 50 to 90, and at a staggering cost of $90,000. 'My doctor basically said that I don't cover a lot of the criteria. But if I can supply the money, then I've got a much higher chance of being accepted,' she said. Since Evie was six weeks old, it's been just the two of them. Erin has poured every ounce of her energy into raising her daughter and building a stable life. Now, she's fighting to hold onto that life and the precious time she has left. She's started creating photo books and writing letters for Evie, capturing memories and family stories she fears she won't be able to tell one day. 'I want her to remember who I was. Who her grandmother was, too, as I'm the only one who can tell her that,' she said. A breakthrough infusion drug called Leqembi could delay Erin's symptoms by up to 30 per cent, but she is too young to qualify for it - unless she can pay $90,000 Erin's family hopes to raise the full $90,000 to cover ongoing treatments and give her a fighting chance at slowing the disease in its tracks. If treatment becomes impossible, the funds will help create lasting memories with Evie too, as well as special time together, and the chance to simply live while she still can. 'She's not asking for a miracle,' her stepsister Jessica said. 'She's just asking for more time.'
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Whitlam, Vietnam and colour TV: how Australia was redefined by the ‘hinge year' of 1975
Seismic political shake-ups, international upheaval that reverberated across the nation and a vivid cultural renaissance – 1975 was one of Australia's most pivotal years of the 20th century. Five decades on, the National Library of Australia in Canberra is about to unveil a new exhibition spotlighting the year the prime minister was sacked, the Vietnam war came to an end and how, despite Hollywood telling us we'd never go back into the water, we did. Taking the title of the seminal Skyhooks album as inspiration, 1975: Living in the Seventies will explore how global conflict, pop culture, fashion and political reforms collided during a time of deep transformation. It is what the library's director of exhibitions, Guy Hansen, calls one of Australia's 'hinge years', up there with 1914 and 1949, when Australians ceased to be British subjects and a federal election ushered in the Menzies era respectively. 'Australia started to go in a distinct direction,' says Hansen, who was a primary school student in Sydney's western suburbs at the time. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning 'And of course, back then everybody watched the same news. The family would sit down and watch the seven o'clock news and hear what James Dibble had to say about things … and even if you were 11, you got a sense of the world.' The year did not begin well. The cleanup from Cyclone Tracy's devastation had just begun – the death toll had risen to 66 – and five days into the new year 12 lives were lost when the bulk ore carrier MV Lake Illawarra struck the Tasman Bridge in Hobart. And it was bookended by the dismissal of Gough Whitlam's government on 11 November, sparking one of the most intense collective public reactions in Australian political history. Under Whitlam the nation underwent sweeping changes to healthcare, divorce law and immigration policy, pushing Australia toward multiculturalism. And global events had not had such an enormous local impact since the outbreak of the second world war. The civil war that began in Lebanon would lead to 30,000 people migrating to Australia. Three times that number arrived from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon. One neighbour to the north, Papua New Guinea, gained independence from Australia; another, Indonesia, invaded East Timor, with the diplomatic crisis deepening after news of the murder of five Australian journalists in Balibo. Australia was unable to quarantine itself from global economic stagflation and a looming energy crisis and watched on in wonder as Margaret Thatcher became the first woman in British history to take over the leadership of a major political party. The country's hallowed communications institutions were disbanded, with the Postmaster-General's Department becoming Telecom Australia and the Australian Postal Commission becoming Australia Post. The safari-suit wearing South Australian premier, Don Dunstan, scandalised conservative Australia with his decision to decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting adults. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion As gay rights were ushered in, the symbolic start of Indigenous land rights was marked by Whitlam pouring soil into the hands of the Gurindji leader Vincent Lingiari. It was also a year of youth-led culture. Double J became the new young voice of Australian music, Molly Meldrum the face of the country's most popular music show and Skyhooks dominated the year as Australia's answer to the big glam rock bands emerging out of London. Australia switched to colour television. And while everyone under the age of 30 was busy doing the Time Warp and swearing to never set foot in the water again, Australian films also came into their own. 'You've got movies like Picnic at Hanging Rock [and] Sunday Too Far Away, popular, important movies made by Australian directors with Australian actors,' Hansen says. 'There's this kind of strong nationalism and cultural pride in the 70s, with this desire to tell Australian stories.' The exhibition promises to be more than just a heavy dose of baby boomer nostalgia, he says. It demonstrates how 1975 redefined what it meant to be Australian. 1975: Living in the Seventies opens at the National Library of Australia on 14 August and continues until 1 February. Entry is free.
