The way Australia has always observed Magda Szubanski’s body is unsettling. Not in a cruel way, exactly; rather, it was more of a kind of unasked-for collective concern. She gained notoriety for making people laugh, but for a significant portion of her public life, the topic of her current weight kept coming up.
Szubanski took the initiative and made it official in November 2008. She committed to publicly losing her starting weight of 121 kg after signing with Jenny Craig. That choice is both subtly courageous and subtly draining. It takes a certain amount of nerve to put your body on national television as a before-and-after project. She lost 36 kg over the course of the following nine months, eventually weighing about 85 kg—a transformation that was astounding by any standard.
Really, the weight loss made things better. Her cholesterol decreased. Her sleep apnea, which had been severe enough to worry her physicians, significantly improved. At the time, she revealed to A Current Affair that she was finally discarding her “fat lady clothes.” That statement was not just performance; it was real relief. In more ways than one, she appeared lighter.
For three years, she didn’t do it. It is important, but it is frequently omitted in the retelling. Three years is a significant amount of time. It is truly challenging to maintain a 36-kilogram weight loss while leading a full personal and professional life, and she managed to do so while being one of the most recognizable faces in the nation. The weight returned gradually after that. After splitting from Jenny Craig in June of that year, she gained about fourteen kilograms by the middle of 2011. The tabloids featured images that were making the rounds in Sydney. According to her agent, she was content and in good health. Both could have been true.
The narrative had become somewhat bizarre by 2014. According to reports, Jenny Craig offered her $1.25 million to do it all over again—publicly lose weight on their program. Szubanski agreed. Radio host Matty Johns was one of the first to criticize her, claiming she was being “rewarded for getting fat again.” The framing was unsightly and disclosed more about the commentator than the topic. However, it also encapsulated a true aspect of diet culture: the belief that a public weight loss is irreversible and that gaining weight is a form of moral failure.
Szubanski retaliated in her own manner. She cited “calorie amnesia”—a real psychological phenomenon where people underestimate how much they eat—and a broken rib that disrupted her workout regimen as contributing factors on a 2DayFM breakfast show. Those explanations made some people laugh. They were recognized by others. They are probably familiar to anyone who has ever been on a long-term diet and had a single bad month turn into a year.
It’s difficult to ignore the lack of grace that public life typically shows to women managing their weight over time. When you look at it plainly, the celebrated loss, the disappointed coverage of the gain, and the million-dollar offer to repeat the process all seem a little off. In later years, including in a 2022 documentary interview, Szubanski herself admitted that she suffers from anxiety, autoimmune arthritis, migraines, and sleep apnea, and that her doctors have repeatedly told her to reduce her weight. She added that she works out more than most people think. As is often the case, reality is more nuanced than a before-and-after picture.
In actuality, her story illustrates a more general aspect of the Australian public figures’ relationship with their bodies. Losing weight turns into a spectacle. Regaining turns into disappointment. The cycle keeps going. Szubanski referred to her 2014 reunion with Jenny Craig as her “Rocky moment,” which, depending on how you interpret it, is either heartwarming or inspirational—probably both. When thinking about what her weight loss journey has truly meant, beyond the kilograms, she has always been sharper than the story told about her, and that sharpness is worth clinging to.
FAQs
Q1: How much weight did Magda Szubanski lose with Jenny Craig?
She lost approximately 36 kilograms over nine months, reaching around 85 kilograms.
Q2: When did Magda Szubanski first become a Jenny Craig ambassador?
She signed with Jenny Craig in November 2008.
Q3: Why did Magda Szubanski regain weight after her initial loss?
She cited “calorie amnesia” and a broken rib as contributing factors.
Q4: How much was Magda Szubanski reportedly offered to re-sign with Jenny Craig in 2014?
Jenny Craig reportedly offered her $1.25 million to lose weight again.
Q5: Did Magda Szubanski’s weight loss improve her health?
Yes — her cholesterol dropped and her sleep apnoea improved significantly.
