Media personality and former sports presenter Lucy Zelic returns to her Canberra roots as guest speaker at an International Women’s Day lunch to raise funds for cancer care nurses. 

A cancer diagnosis affects everyone, says Lucy, “it’s not just people with cancer that need support, it’s also the nurses providing the care.”

Following the recent announcement that the McGrath Foundation would open the charity to all cancer-care nurses, Lucy says she was grateful to have been asked as a guest speaker for the fund-raising lunch. 

“In 2024, there were an estimated 169,000 people diagnosed with cancer in Australia alone,” she says. 

“It’s affecting one in two men and one in three women, with lung cancer being the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world.”

Lucy lost her mother-in-law to lung cancer four days after Christmas. She was diagnosed in 2023, aged 57.

“It was really devastating,” she says. 

“We thought we would have so much more time with her and you never realise just how much more time you need with someone until you’ve lost it.”

This isn’t Lucy’s first brush with cancer after her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and her mother with bowel cancer, both of whom are  in remission.

“It’s something that never leaves you, even if you are one of the lucky ones that was able to beat it, there’s always that kind of monkey on your back and concern every time you go for a check-up,” she says. 

“If there’s something wrong with your body, you think ‘wow, is it coming back?’”

Lucy, eager to support the McGrath Foundation for cancer nurses, also plans to discuss the importance of International Women’s Day and what it means to her. 

“I think of it now in the context of being a mother,” she says.

“I think about the impact and how just being a mother has changed my own goals and purposes in life.”

Lucy, a former SBS sports presenter and FIFA World Cup co-host, put her career to the side after giving birth to her daughter in 2019. Now, she says, her daughter is one of her biggest inspirations. 

“Being a mother is my most beloved and cherished role,” she says. 

“I’m still driven and passionate about my career, but I want to be there for my children in their formative years.” 

A strong advocate for supporting women’s sports and giving women a voice, Lucy says there’s no right answer in terms of choosing a career or family.

“You’re not a failure either way,” she says. 

Lucy, a graduate of the University of Canberra, has returned to journalism, although this time, she’s found a passion for politics and commentary, working with 2GB in Sydney and Sky News. 

“It’s a new challenge, it’s been a thrilling one and a daunting one,” she says. 

“I often wonder at times if I’m out of my depth, but they’re all questions that we face whenever we come into any new kind of challenge.”

International Women’s Day lunch, 12pm-2.30pm, Pavilion on Northbourne, 242 Northbourne Avenue, Dickson. Tickets $120. Book via eventbrite.com.au