She has made a nation laugh and inspired thousands of women with her personal weight-loss journey, but never in her wildest dreams did Magda Szubanski expect to become a fashion icon.

This week, however, Magda will make her modelling debut and strut down the runway.Australia's favourite funnywoman will reveal her newly svelte figure when she makes her foray into modelling at the first catwalk show for Magazines Go Live at the Royal Hall of Industries in Sydney on Friday September 11.

Magda says she's rediscovered a love of shopping and fashion after losing 36kg and dropping five dress sizes over the past two years, and now barely recognises herself in the mirror.

"It has been a huge year and a year of real change," explains Magda, who is set to be the host of Network Ten's new pop culture show The Spearman Experiment. "In some ways, you do feel like a new person."

Away from the glamour and glitz of showbiz, Magda is an extremely private person, preferring to spend time with her "incredibly supportive" family and friends rather than attending red carpet events.

Little wonder, then, that publicly sharing her battle to lose weight — which has seen her reach her goal weight of 85kg on a Jenny Craig diet — has been confronting for the 48-year-old.