Agro host and It’s a Knockout star’s shock health diagnosis

A one-time TV host of shows including It’s a Knockout and Wombat has revealed a shock health diagnosis.

Fiona MacDonald rose to national attention on madcap gameshow It’s a Knockout and as host of Wombat with an angry puppet called Agro.

On Saturday, the entertainer told the Sydney Morning Herald she has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

McDonald said she first noticed the symptoms prior to 2021, the year she learned she had the disease, which causes nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to progressively fail.

“I noticed in July that I was having trouble speaking clearly, particularly if I was tired,” she told the outlet.

“This is not a disease for the faint-hearted. MND, also called ALS, is cruel, stealing the power of all muscles inch by inch, until you can’t walk, can’t hold hands, can’t talk, swallow and breathe. Then you die. There is no treatment, no cure. You get MND, you die.”

Fiona is the sister of Jacki MacDonald who was best known as one of the hosts of the popular variety show Hey Hey It’s Saturday.

MacDonald now hopes that the kids of the 80s and 90s, now adults, who remember her well will help raise awareness and funds for the deadly disease.

In the spirit of adventure, a la It’s a Knockout, MacDonald will embark on a 15,000km drive around Australia, with funds raised going to Macquarie University’s MND clinic lead by Professor Dominic Rowe.

The clinic is testing a compound called Copper-ATSM, to see if it can redress the imbalance of metals that occurs in the brain of patients with familial MND or sporadic MND.