Aussie Olympic gold medallist hospitalised for 'long overdue' operation

Former Australian Olympic swimmer and television personality Giaan Rooney OAM is recovering after a stint in hospital.

The Olympic gold-medallist has spent the "past couple of days" at St Vincent's Private Hospital in Sydney for an operation she says was "long overdue".

Taking to her Instagram account with a photo of her view from her hospital bed, Rooney shared an update to more than 30,000 followers.

"Been in hospital the past couple of days - had an operation to fix an old birth injury (long overdue considering my youngest is 7 & a half!)," Rooney wrote.

READ MORE: Harry issues statement after fourth staff member in months resigns

Rooney revealed that thankfully the surgery went off without a hitch but not everything was smooth sailing.

"I had a bad reaction to the anaesthetic," she added.

Despite the complications, Rooney has been able to head home to make a full recovery.

"I'm home and fine but wanted to highlight our incredible nurses who care for us when we are at our most vulnerable," she wrote.

"A huge thank you to Maria, Kira, Rochelle (who caught me when I blacked out) and June amongst many others who go above and beyond every day just doing their job, you are so very appreciated."

READ MORE: Secret ingredient that makes this the best Bloody Mary ever

Hundreds took to the comment section of Rooney's post to share their well wishes.

"Oh Giaan I'm so sorry to hear that I hope you recover fast and yes they are angels that work in that system," Australian singer and actress Kate Ceberano wrote.

"Sorry to read this. Get well soon," wrote Australian TV personality Barry Du Bois.

"Big hugs, rest up beautiful lady," wrote fellow former Olympian Brooke Hanson OAM.

View gallery

Best behind the scenes moments from Aussie Olympians

After providing her personal update, Rooney took the moment to advocate for better support for public nurses throughout the New South Wales.

"Now, whilst I was lucky enough to be in the Private Hospital, our nurses and midwives in the NSW Public System are the lowest paid in the country, making it hard to not only entice numbers to the profession but near impossible to retain long term," she wrote.

"Please support them in their demands for a fair wage by emailing your MP - link is on the @nswnma page.

"I was alerted to this by the amazing @jack_river who also has the details in a pinned post on her feed as well as the link in her bio."

READ MORE: 95c pantry staple celebrity chef swears by in show-stopping dish

Rooney continued to joke that she needed a lucky win to help the cause.

"Now I just need to win lotto and balance this system out," she wrote.

Rooney's comments on the NSW Public Health System comes as NSW nurses advocate for better pay.

Last month 12,000 nurses across the state walked off the job.

Nurses took to the streets of Sydney's CBD on November 13 after the NSW government refused to meet the nursing union's call for a 14 per cent pay rise, despite NSW police officers receiving a pay rise earlier that week.

"Our members are furious that there's not an equivalent type of pay rise available to them," Shaye Candish from the NMWA told 9news.

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.