Just days after returning from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland, former AFL WAG Kellie Finlayson has shared a worrying update on her health.
Kellie, 30, was diagnosed with stage four, terminal bowel cancer in 2021, just three months after giving birth to her daughter Sophia Jai, who she shares with her husband, former Port Adelaide star Jeremy Finlayson.
She revealed in 2022 that the disease had spread to her lungs and has since focused her treatment on keeping the cancer stable while maintaining her quality of life.
But last week, in a make-or-break story shared to her Instagram, Kellie told her followers that she was now experiencing liver failure.
In one of her regular Q&As on Friday, a fan asked how her treatment was going.
Kellie replied: ‘I don’t think anything ever goes as planned as anyone would have you believe, but I’m “OK” in medical terms right now, other than the fact that my liver is playing funny motherfuckers (failing) lol’.
Just days after returning from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland, former AFL WAG Kellie Finlayson has shared a worrying update on her health
Kellie, 30, was diagnosed with stage four, terminal bowel cancer in 2021, just three months after giving birth to her daughter Sophia Jai, who she shares with her husband, former Port Adelaide star Jeremy Finlayson
On Tuesday, she again hinted at her health problems in an Instagram ad for food delivery service Marley Spoon, filmed at her Adelaide home.
As she prepared dinner for her family, she admitted, “Let me tell you, I’ve already had a week… it’s actually been a slog the last few weeks, but we’re pushing through.”
The worrying update came after she fulfilled her childhood dream last month: a visit to Disneyland in California, for which she appeared to be an invited guest.
Kellie shared cheerful photos and videos from the US theme park with Jeremy and Sophia, looking radiant in sparkly Minnie Mouse ears, a striped T-shirt and jeans as she enjoyed the precious family holiday.
She laughed on rides, sampled theme park treats and met famous Disney characters.
“I’m literally pinching myself that we’re here (what is my life?!) and I’m in awe of how magical this place is,” she said on Instagram.
‘We have so much more to share, but here are a few happy snaps to get us started #invited.
‘I’m living my childhood dreams here – pretty cool that Soph gets to make hers come true too.’
Last week, Kellie told her followers in a make-or-break story on her Instagram that she was now experiencing liver failure.
The family vacation came after Kellie underwent another major surgery during her ongoing battle with cancer.
She underwent a wedge resection of her left lung in June to remove active and inactive tumors, following a previous procedure on her right lung.
Kellie has undergone more than 80 rounds of chemotherapy since being diagnosed in November 2021.
She had given birth to Sophia three months earlier and initially thought her symptoms were related to postpartum changes.
Doctors initially told her she had stage three bowel cancer, but scans within 24 hours revealed the disease had spread to her lungs and was at stage four.
Her treatment included maintenance infusions of chemotherapy and daily chemotherapy tablets.
Kellie documented her diagnosis, treatment, marriage and motherhood in her 2025 memoir, There Must Be More.
Jeremy and Kellie tied the knot in 2023 after postponing their nuptials while she underwent treatment.
Kellie has candidly shared details about her cancer treatment
It’s clear that Kellie and Jeremy are now preparing for a new phase in their lives.
After being dropped by Port in August last year, he has since played for the Myponga-Sellicks Mudlarks, a football team in the suburbs south of Adelaide.
However, he recently confirmed he had signed up to play in Darwin next year for the Banks Bulldogs in the NTFL.
It is not known whether the Finlaysons plan to move from their home in Adelaide’s western suburbs to the Top End.
Kellie recently admitted that while she has missed her WAG social circle since Jeremy left the AFL, she has found life ‘much less stressful’ – and revealed her family had been the subject of death threats from angry sports figures.
“I love you, AFL, for the opportunities it has given our little family, but I also love you no one to rile up my house or send death threats after a failed multi,” she said.
She added that there was “much less outside noise, and much more family time. But I also see my friends much less. The one thing I miss most is knowing that I see the girls every weekend for a chat and a cuddle.”
‘[There is] much more flexibility in my own schedule [rather than] waiting for a Sunday afternoon [Port’s] schedule to then be able to create my own schedule. [It] Was NOT as a working girl myself,” she wrote on Instagram.
Kellie has undergone more than 80 rounds of chemotherapy since being diagnosed in November 2021
Since her diagnosis, Kellie has become a social media influencer with more than 80,000 followers, and an ambassador for the Jodi Lee Foundation’s ‘Trust Your Gut’ campaign, which advocates for early detection and encourages people to listen to their bodies.
She recently told US publication PEOPLE magazine that she had suffered from symptoms including changes in her bowel movements, abdominal pain and fluctuating weight for seven years before her shock diagnosis at age 25.
‘It’s very difficult to understand what bowel cancer is because it’s so similar to having a menstrual cycle. So it was very easy to push it aside and blame it on something else,” she said.
She admitted that she partly blamed herself for not demanding further investigation when she first reported her strange symptoms, and that the diagnosis was not made until the disease was already advanced.
‘[It’s] also my fault because I didn’t take anything seriously, but every time they told me I was too young, fit and healthy, I took it to heart,” she said.
“I just took the meds and let them tell me what was wrong with my body, without ever testing anything…I didn’t take it seriously, so I didn’t push for answers.
‘But I was a young girl of twenty years old. It’s hard to expect that of myself, but if I know what I know now, God, it would make my life easier,” she said.
The Daily Mail contacted Kellie through her agent for an interview about her latest health news, which she politely declined.
