Comedian Judith Lucy has posted a candid hospital image showing the moment she learned she would need a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 58-year-old shared the photo on Facebook on Saturday, thanking followers for their support and urging women to stay up to date with regular mammograms.
In the image, Judith looked cheerful as she rested in a hospital bed, bundled in a fluffy white dressing gown and blanket.
Her signature grey curls were swept back as she gave the camera a peace sign and pulled an exaggerated, open-mouthed grin.
Keeping her trademark humour intact, she captioned the image: ‘Fun with cancer!’
‘So this was me last Friday when I heard that it was now a mastectomy,’ she wrote.
Comedian Judith Lucy (pictured) has shared a candid hospital photo capturing the moment she learned she would need a mastectomy following her breast cancer diagnosis
The 58-year-old took to Facebook on Saturday to thank fans for their support while issuing an urgent warning about the importance of regular mammograms
‘And yes, it’s a bit of a peekaboo shot so that’s my breast waving goodbye guys!’
Judith also expressed her gratitude for the messages she had received, while highlighting how important it was that her cancer had been found during routine screening.
‘My jugs and I have been pretty overwhelmed by the response so THANK YOU and again, GET THEM CHECKED LADIES,’ she said.
‘You can’t feel my cancer so without a mammogram I would have been screwed!’
Her Facebook update came just days after she revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks earlier and was preparing for a double mastectomy.
The comedian first announced the diagnosis in an Instagram video, explaining that the cancer had been detected through a mammogram conducted via BreastScreen Australia.
‘On my way home, I got an email from BreastScreen Australia telling me that my mammogram result was a bit weird,’ she said.
‘I’m going to take this opportunity to say ladies, for the love of god, keep up with your mammograms. Anyway, long story short, I’ve got breast cancer.’
Judith Lucy has revealed she will undergo a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks ago
Judith said she had originally expected to have a lumpectomy. However, doctors found additional cancer during a later appointment and revised her treatment plan.
‘I didn’t want to say anything about it until I knew what was going on,’ she said.
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‘I went last Friday for a lumpectomy and a doctor, I’m not making this up, called Dr Fun (Dr. Pei Fun Kwan in Melbourne), found more cancer.
‘So we have gone from a lumpectomy to a mastectomy, which I am having Friday week. I said, while you’re there, let’s get rid of the other one.’
Despite the diagnosis, Judith has continued to joke publicly about the upcoming surgery.
She joked that she had enjoyed ’40 years of large and spectacular breasts’ and was now looking forward to a future without needing a bra.
‘You had your chance fellas,’ she quipped.
‘So I think I’m quite fine with going bra-free for my last chapter, and my last chapter is going to be very long and healthy.’
In 2022, Judith announced she was retiring from stand-up comedy after 35 years on the road
Judith also reassured fans that doctors had described the cancer as relatively early-stage and non-aggressive.
‘It is relatively early stages. It is also relatively non-aggressive,’ she explained.
The diagnosis comes at a particularly ironic time for the comedian, who released her new wellness memoir, Well Well Well…: My Wellness Odyssey from Psychics to Psychedelics and Beyond, last Monday.
The book explores Judith’s experiences with burnout, retirement from stand-up comedy and her often hilarious attempts to improve her physical and mental wellbeing through alternative therapies.
Addressing the unfortunate timing of its release, Judith joked that there was ‘nothing like releasing a book about wellness as you’re being diagnosed with breast cancer’.
She explained that the memoir was never intended to present her as a picture of perfect health, but instead explored the idea that there are no quick fixes to wellbeing.
Judith finished her announcement by reassuring fans that, although she was still processing the news, she remained optimistic about the future.
‘I’ll be keeping you abreast of everything Australia. I really am okay. I mean, I’m in shock, but I’m okay,’ she said.
Judith announced her retirement from stand-up comedy in 2022 after 35 years on the road, explaining that she had grown tired of constant touring and wanted to focus on other aspects of her life.
However, she returned to the stage in 2023 with a role in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days before appearing in the comedy production Menopausal Night Out in 2024.
The much-loved entertainer first rose to prominence on the ABC’s The Late Show in 1993 before becoming a familiar face on Rove and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.
Her comedy album King of the Road was also nominated for an ARIA Award in 1999.