Latest news with #CaseyDonovan
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Magda Szubanski receives messages of support from A-List friends amid devastating cancer battle
Magda Szubanski is feeling the love from her famous pals and longtime fans as she battles cancer. The Australian comedian announced in May that she's battling Mantle Cell Lymphoma - a rare and fast-moving blood cancer. And now, Magda has taken to Instagram to reveal the sweet gift she received in the wake of her diagnosis from non-profit organisation Equality. 'A huge thank you to @equalityaustralia for gathering these touching messages of love and well-wishing from LGBTQIA people across the country,' she captioned the post, which showed a book titled 'Messages to Magda'. 'I am very, very moved,' the 64-year-old added. 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. Her famous friends flooded the comments section of the Instagram post with support and love. 'So much love to you x,' celebrity chef Nigella Lawson wrote. Terri Irwin also penned: 'You are loved.' Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan simply shared three purple hearts in response to the post. Two months ago, Magda revealed that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at the age of 64. She appeared on camera with a shaved head to reveal the shock news after beginning her treatment to fight cancer. 'Hello my lovelies. So, the head is shaved in anticipation of it all falling out in a couple of weeks because I have just been diagnosed with a very rare, very aggressive, very serious lymphoma,' she began. 'It is one of the nasty ones, unfortunately. But the good thing is I'm surrounded by beautiful friends and family and an incredible medical support team. 'Honestly, we have the best in the world here in Australia, particularly in Melbourne, so I feel very fortunate. 'It's pretty confronting. It is full on. But new treatments keep coming down the pipeline all the time.' Magda said she has started a treatment called the Nordic protocol, which treats Mantle Cell Lymphoma by shrinking the tumours with a combination of drugs administered in five phases. It's known as the Nordic regimen based upon its clinical trial sites in Denmark and Norway. The actress explained she will be 'lying very low' due to her weak immune system. '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 said. 'Please keep a distance though because I will be very immunocompromised. So I can't hug no more. 'Don't hug me, kiss me, or breathe anywhere near me! Wave enthusiastically from a safe distance and know I love you madly.' The Kath & Kim star said the cancer was discovered during a routine breast screening.
Daily Mail
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Singer Casey Donovan reveals that her career has 'taken a toll' on her mental and physical health
Casey Donovan has opened up about the tremendous toll her busy work schedule has had on her mind and body. The 37-year-old, who soared to fame after winning Australian Idol in 2004, said that the last six years have been so frantic for her its left a 'mark' on her mental health and physical health. Casey, who is planning a wedding with fiancée Renee Sharples, has kept up a frantic pace since 2021, including starring in the musicals 9 to 5, & Juliet, and Sister Act. 'I haven't really stopped in the last six to seven years,' she told Stellar Magazine on Saturday. 'I've just kind of jumped from show to show to show. I've done the eight shows a week. 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. 'It certainly does take its toll on your body and your mental health, but I don't take this for granted. I've very grateful. 'Because I know what it is like to have everything stop, and what it is like to never stop.' Elsewhere in the chat the star appeared surprised by her continuing success. 'I never looked into the future and saw where I would be today,' Donovan tells Stellar. 'It's a really beautiful thing.' Casey, meanwhile, is not taking any time off and is currently getting set to appear in the Broadway success Kimberly Akimbo. First performed in the US in 2001, the Australian version is currently in rehearsal and will premiere in Adelaide before a season in Melbourne in July. It comes after Casey recently opened up about her upcoming wedding to fiancée Renee Sharples after announcing her engagement to her long-time partner in June last year. During an appearance on The Project, Casey gave an insight into how the planning of the nuptials is progressing. Appearing on the beleaguered Channel Ten show to promote her upcoming musical Kimberley Akimbo, it wasn't too long before Casey was pressed on details for the big day. 'We keep chatting about it and we're like: "do we have something big? Do We have something small?" she said. 'Do we just run away and do it ourselves and then throw a party? Which I haven't told Renee, I'm so sorry,' she said to her fiancée down the camera. Casey revealed that she and Renee were planning to tie the knot in June last year. It's certainly been a busy time for Casey who has recently starred in successful runs of musicals & Juliet and Sister Act. She also recently partnered with weight loss program Juniper to help to achieve her fitness goals. 'I've kind of been on, I guess, my own little journey through health and fitness in the last few months when they approached [me],' Casey told Daily Mail Australia in April. She added that, with medication already a part of her weight loss regimen, she was looking for some extra help and direction. 'I kind of I sat with it and being already that I was already on a form of medication, I was kind of at that point where I needed that extra bit of help, she said. 'It kind of came at the perfect time, because I was trying to just bumble through life with all the other things that I knew that I picked up from other weight loss programs. Just kind of fumbling my way through.'
Daily Mail
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Casey Donovan opens up about wedding plans as she prepares to tie the knot with fiancée Renee Sharples
Casey Donovan has opened up about her upcoming wedding to fiancée Renee Sharples. The Australian Idol winner, 37, announced her engagement to her long-time partner in June last year. During an appearance on The Project on Friday, Casey gave an insight into how the planning of the nuptials is progressing. Appearing on the beleaguered Channel Ten show to promote her upcoming musical Kimberley Akimbo, it wasn't too long before Casey was pressed on details for the big day. 'If I wasn't already attracted to your hands with your incredible nails, there's also a very big rock on your finger,' panellist Susie Yussef said, which elicited a big laugh from Casey. 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 singer replied: 'This time last year, when I had my last two weeks off, I went to Tasmania and got engaged.' 'So, you're wedding prepping as well?' Susie asked, referencing Casey's current hectic schedule. Casey offered a cheeky: 'Certainly not,' before revealing the lovebirds are still very much in the planning phase. 'We keep chatting about it and we're like: 'do we have something big? Do We have something small?' 'Do we just run away and do it ourselves and then throw a party? Which I haven't told Renee, I'm so sorry,' she said to her fiancée down the camera. Host Max Rushden had a suggestion for the happy couple which seemed to pique Casey's interest. 'Do it on roller skates,' he said in a reference to Kimberley Akimbo in which cast members don the wheel augmented footwear to simulate ice skating. 'I mean, it's a moment,' she said. 'Do it on roller skates,' host Max Rushden said in a reference to Casey's upcoming turn in Kimberley Akimbo in which cast members don the wheel augmented footwear to simulate ice skating. 'I mean, it's a moment,' she said. Casey revealed that she and Renee were planning to tie the knot in June last year. Showing off her massive diamond ring, the theatre star cuddled up to her girlfriend as she shared in the caption the wholesome moment Renee got down on bended knee. '21.06.24 on the strawberry moon of the winter solstice the love of my life asked me if I wanted to do this life together forever,' Casey wrote. '"The day I met you, home was no longer a place it became a person and yes, you are a gypsy but there's nobody else I would rather attach my wagon to on this beautiful road trip called life" and with that, I said yes!' Casey, who rose to fame at the age of 16 after winning Australian Idol in 2004, sparked rumours she was secretly engaged to girlfriend Renee back in September 2021 - one year after finding love during Victoria's Covid lockdown. She sent the rumour mill ablaze after she uploaded an Instagram video of herself performing a cover of Stand By Me to promote R U OK? Day. As Casey strummed a guitar, fans couldn't help but spy a huge diamond ring on her finger, leading some to question whether a wedding was on the cards. Casey met Renee, a lecturer in paramedicine, on dating app Bumble and the pair set up video dates on Zoom during Covid lockdown in 2020. 'I was nervous and excited to make a connection with Renee, and when we finally connected her banter was great and she seemed very lovely,' Casey told Woman's Day. 'When I logged into our first Zoom date and saw that Renee had set it up in a café, it was so sweet... [It was] even better when she asked me what kind of coffee I wanted,' she added. Renee admitted that she recognised Casey from Australian Idol but 'didn't have any preconceived ideas about who she was'. 'We didn't really see this in our near future; it was very unexpected. But we're having the best time doing life together and I could not be happier,' she said. It's certainly been a busy time for Casey who has recently starred in successful runs of musicals & Juliet and Sister Act. She also recently partnered with weight loss program Juniper to help to achieve her fitness goals. 'I've kind of been on, I guess, my own little journey through health and fitness in the last few months when they approached [me],' Casey told Daily Mail Australia in April. She added that, with medication already a part of her weight loss regimen, she was looking for some extra help and direction. 'I kind of I sat with it and being already that I was already on a form of medication, I was kind of at that point where I needed that extra bit of help, she said. 'It kind of came at the perfect time, because I was trying to just bumble through life with all the other things that I knew that I picked up from other weight loss programs. Just kind of fumbling my way through.'
Sky News AU
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
'I can't fit any more in': Dramatically slimmed-down Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan opens up about Ozempic side effects
Casey Donovan has opened up about the surprising side effects of her weight loss medication journey, including feeling "fullness" for the first time in her life. Donovan, 36, recently lost a significant amount of weight after overhauling her lifestyle and using the GLP-1-aided weight loss program Juniper. GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic help regulate appetite and are increasingly being used in medical weight loss programs. On Tuesday, the slimmed-down songstress posted a video via her Instagram account and listed some of the benefits of losing weight. 'My clothing feeling looser and feeling less bloated, not only in my body but also my face,' she wrote. 'Food noise becoming quiet in my mind and feeling freedom with thoughts when it comes to food. 'The feeling of fullness, not really knowing that feeling before this program and now knowing and identifying that feeling and stopping when feeling full and not pushing through as if it were my last meal (I can always have more later of I'm feeling hungry) Learning that I don't need to order the extras.' Donovan also shared her favourite green smoothie recipe after a massive diet and fitness overhaul. The ultra-healthy concoction is made up of cucumber, green apple, celery stick, kale, spinach, plus coconut water and a dash of lemon juice. 'Whiz it all up in your blender and enjoy,' Donovan wrote. While preparing her favourite super smoothie, Donovan elaborated on feeling 'fullness' for the first time thanks to her use of weight loss medication. 'I wanted to talk about some non-scale victories while being on the Juniper program,' she said. 'It's taken me many, many years to understand the satisfaction of what fullness is. 'I can't fit any more in. I physically cannot fit it into my body. 'I've always thought about food (and) how much of it I was going to eat and it occupied a lot of my time (but) now it's just eat for fuel.' Donovan's loyal fans flooded the comment section with support. 'No food noise and eating to fuel sounds amazing,' one fan wrote. 'Will definitely make it! Looks delish,' another user said. Donovan, who recently completed a national tour of Sister Act, first found fame after winning the second season of Australian Idol in 2004, aged just 16. The star is also hoping to start a family with her fiancée Renee Sharples in the 'semi-near future' after recently revealing she was "in such a good place in my life right now".
West Australian
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Sister Act review: heavenly musical opens at Crown Theatre Perth with Casey Donovan as Deloris Van Cartier
Sister Act review: heavenly musical opens at Crown Theatre Perth with Casey Donovan as Deloris Van Cartier
