Ita Buttrose shares sad health update: ‘It’s so frustrating’

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Media veteran Ita Buttrose has revealed that she is confined to a wheelchair. 

The 83-year-old shared some disappointing health news, explaining she now needs a walking aid because she has difficulty walking long distances due to a problem with her walking pattern.

I wasn’t expecting this,” Ita shared on Tuesday’s A Current Affair. “But that’s just life – things don’t always go as planned.

The previous editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly openly said she initially felt embarrassed, but now accepts the situation as it is.

Ita confessed that she occasionally wonders why things happen to her, admitting it’s frustrating, but ultimately accepting that this is just how life is for her.

Let me be honest, getting around isn’t always easy for me. I have trouble walking long distances without some help, so I often find it much simpler and more comfortable to use a wheelchair when I’m traveling or just getting around. It just makes life a little smoother, you know?

She admitted she was initially self-conscious about needing a wheelchair. ‘I used to be proud of my legs and loved wearing nice shoes,’ she said with a laugh.

She admitted that after being self-sufficient since she was fifteen, she now found it difficult to rely on herself.

She explained that she’s now relying on others for help with daily life, and finding it really hard to get used to.

Ita found out she had a health issue after back surgery in 2021, when she started having trouble even with walking.

After a round of tests, doctors diagnosed the condition as an isolated gait disorder.

In the interview, she also spoke about her new memoir, Unapologetically Ita, where she candidly shares her experiences with sex, getting older, and the challenges she faced during her five years leading the ABC.

It comes after Ita offloaded her inner-city Sydney home for $1,675,000 early this year.

Ita bought the two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in Redfern two years ago for $1.55 million, and it’s now being sold.

This split-level apartment, on the 18th floor of the popular Moore Park Gardens building, offers beautiful views of the city.

The report indicates Ita is planning to purchase a new home, ideally located near her daughter, Kate McDonald, who resides in southeast Sydney.

Ita became well-known in the 1970s as the first editor of Cleo, a popular magazine for women covering fashion and lifestyle.

She was later the high-profile editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly.

Ita hosted Studio 10 between 2013 and 2018.

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2025-10-29 02:48