Matildas stars Chloe Logarzo and Emily Gielnik have joined forces to urge more Australian women to talk more openly about breast health. It’s an issue that continues to be shrouded in stigma, Logarzo and Gielnik say, but in 2025—it shouldn’t be.
For Logarzo, the cause is a deeply personal one. Both her grandmother and mother-in-law have experienced breast cancer.
“It’s something that’s really near and dear to my heart and Emily is 100 per cent on board,” Logarzo tells Women’s Agenda.
“My mother-in-law and my Nonna have both battled breast cancer, both had mastectomies, and both overcome their breast cancer.”
“Women don’t talk about it enough…I think there’s this stigma around women not really talking about it.”
Logarzo and Gielnik have supported the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s annual Step Up to Breast Cancer Challenge, which encourages Australians to complete 58 kilometres across the month of August, in honour of the 58 people diagnosed with breast cancer every day.
Gielnik, who is currently in Mexico playing football for Liga MX Femenil, says the Step Up to Breast Cancer Challenge has been an incredible way for her and Chloe to draw attention to the importance of women checking their breasts and being breast aware.
“[About three years ago] I actually had a lump in one of my breasts,” Gielnik says. “I mentioned it to my partner, and she said ‘well, you definitely need to go and get it checked’.”
“I’m grateful I got pushed to check it…and this is why it’s good to talk about.”
“I was [very] lucky that it came back benign.”
The pair’s advocacy first started in 2024, when they competed together on The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition and chose to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and their vision of Zero Deaths from breast cancer.
“There were millions tuning into that show,” Gielnik says. “So, I’m really grateful for that platform and that opportunity, and I’m glad we could spread some more awareness in regard to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.”
CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Dr Cleola Anderiesz, says having Chloe and Emily involved is a game-changer that’s helping drive awareness.
“We know that having Chloe and Emily really does help to raise the awareness and spread the message about how participating in a fundraising activity like Step Up can actually contribute to such an important cause in terms of funding research,” Dr Anderiesz tells Women’s Agenda.
“One in seven women in Australia are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and that’s quite a startling statistic.”
“We do know, however, that early breast cancer, if it’s detected, typically means that we’ve got more treatment options and there are generally better outcomes.”
Gielnik wants to draw attention to the key role of research and says we should never underestimate the potential it has to save lives.
“Without the research, we wouldn’t be in the place that we are now,” Gielnik says. “And it’s just so important to keep developing that research.”
Logarzo and Gielnik’s advocacy for breast cancer awareness and research comes as the National Breast Cancer Foundation has delivered a historic $25 million research grant that aims to halve breast cancer deaths.
“We know the really sobering statistics — about nine people still die each day from breast cancer, and we know that research is absolutely central and critical to improving outcomes,” Dr Anderiesz says.
“We don’t change outcomes in deaths from breast cancer by good luck. We do it because we invest in research, and we apply those research findings into practice and policy.”
Logarzo and Gielnik, who together run a football clinic for girls called Future Baller, say they often try to break the stigma about women’s health with the girls they work with.
“We use football as a segue to get to young women and help them with their mental health. And I think the National Breast Cancer Foundation aligns perfectly with that, because it allows us to talk about the things [related to health] not many women talk about, and we can help and affect as many young girls as we possibly can,” Logarzo says.
Let’s move breast health to the top of the priority list
Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in Australia, and the most common cancer for women.
But there is hope.
As Dr Anderiesz explains, the death rate from breast cancer in Australia is on the decline – and has reduced by over 40 per cent since 1994, the year the National Breast Cancer Foundation started funding. This decline is in large part due to the world-class research focused on precision prevention, detecting breast cancer as early as possible, stopping the progression and recurrence of breast cancer, and treating hard-to-treat and metastatic breast cancer – research that ultimately saves lives.
“We know in Australia, women aged 40 to 74 have access to free mammograms through the Breast Screen Australia Program every two years,” Dr Anderiesz says.
“But also, it’s important to look out for the other signs and symptoms, because a breast lump is not the only sign of breast cancer. There can be other changes to the breast, including a change to the skin on the breast in terms of colouring or dimpling. There can be nipple changes as well.”
“So, it really is about everyone getting to know their normal and being comfortable with regularly checking their breasts to see if there’s any early signs or symptoms.”
Logarzo, who has seen her mother-in-law and grandmother come out the other side of successful breast cancer treatment, says women must start putting their health at the top of the priority list.
“Statistically, if we’re in a locker room full of women, and it’s two or three of those women in our team—in every single team I’ve ever been in—[who] will be affected by breast cancer,” Logarzo says.
“As women, we kind of push that stuff to the back of our priority list. It’s important for women to understand their bodies. And this all comes back to getting to know our bodies so well that we know when something feels different or evenwrong.
“We’re pushing the message to get regularly checked, because it does go undetected for such a long time. And even self-checking could save your life.”
Find out more about the National Breast Cancer Foundation here.