Diving back in!
JESSICA MARAIS GEARS UP FOR ‘RAFTERS’ RETURN
LOOKING RELAXED AND READY FOR SUMMER, Packed to the Rafters actress Jessica Marais enjoyed a cooling dip at Gordons Bay, Sydney, last week as she prepares to plunge into her big TV comeback.
The 34-year-old mum of one slid down the rocks into the chilly water for a swim before joining a group of friends on the beach.
Marais has joined the cast of the Rafters reboot on Amazon Prime, set six years after the last episode which aired in 2013, and features original cast members Rebecca Gibney, Erik Thomson, Hugh Sheridan and George Houvardas. Marais’ ex, James Stewart, won’t be returning, however. The couple dated for six years, and had daughter Scout in 2012, before splitting in 2015. They continue to co-parent. Stewart is now married to his Home and Away co-star Sarah Roberts, and Marais has moved on with Jake Holly, who she’s been dating for a year.
For Marais, this marks an emotional career comeback. In July 2018, she was forced to pull out of the Logie Awards citing “urgent health issues” despite being up for the coveted Gold Logie for Love Child.
Two months later it was announced that she was taking a break from work because of mental health concerns. “Jessica has decided to step away from acting for the remainder of [the year] to focus on her health and spend time with her family,” her management said in a statement, adding that she was pulling out of the production of the Australian drama Bad Mothers.
She’s been open in the past about her struggles. “I was diagnosed at one point with bipolar,” Marais said in 2014. “I have developed ways to talk myself down from any ledges I find myself on.”