WEEK OF SHAME
FRIENDS RALLY AROUND THE SINGLE MUM IN HER HOUR OF NEED
It’s been an incredibly tough week for Kate Ritchie after she was charged with drink driving when police stopped her on Heffron Road in Pagewood, near her Sydney home, last week.
The “mortified” 44-year-old actress and radio host, who is more known for being Australia’s sweetheart, rather then any wild antics, was quick to issue a sincere apology.
“Recently I undertook a random breath test,” she confirmed on Instagram after allegedly returning a positive reading of 0.06, which is just
over the legal limit of 0.05, at Maroubra Police Station last Monday.
“Although it was low level, the test came back positive. I made a poor decision and there is no doubt that I understood the seriousness of my actions. I am truly sorry.”
The shock drink-driving incident came just weeks after Kate celebrated her birthday in
‘I MADE A POOR DECISION AND I AM TRULY SORRY’
what was supposed to be a dream year for her, on the eve of her TV comeback with a new $1 million Nova drivetime contract in the pipeline.
Her brush with the law was particularly galling given how hard Kate has worked to recover from her traumatic divorce from Stuart Webb four years ago.
The disgraced former NRL player was caught drink driving five times between 2004 and 2019 – when they finally split for good after a string of public fights and disturbing incidents that at one point became so bad police intervened to protect Kate.
“On the surface it may have seemed like the perfect match, but there were issues from pretty early on in the marriage. I think Kate created her own version of a fairytale, but the reality never added up,” reveals one former castmate.
After growing up together on air, it was Bec Hewitt who provided a tower of support to Kate when her life unravelled.
The pair formed an unbreakable bond after spending their teen years as two of the biggest stars to ever do a stint in Summer Bay.
Kate was bridesmaid at Bec’s wedding to Lleyton Hewitt in 2005, and while family and tennis commitments kept Bec out of Australia for years, the two never lost touch and remained firm friends.
It was Kate who Bec turned to when she was struggling to settle back into Australia after years on the road, and it was Bec who provided Kate with a shoulder to cry on when her marriage broke down, leaving her to raise her 8-year-old daughter, Mae, as a single mum.
So it came as no surprise that when the chips were down, Kate would look to lean on her best friend.
“Kate’s always been there for Bec, and I’m sure she reached out to help Kate in any way she could last week,” says their former castmate.
“When you share the sort of experiences these two have shared over the past 25 years, that friendship and loyalty never really fades, despite what life may throw at you,” one mutual friend says.
Kate was fined $600 and had her licence suspended, but it could end up costing her millions if her contract with Nova is not renewed – and there are rumours she could be replaced with Australian Idol star Ricki-lee Coulter.
It could not have come at a worst time for Kate, who has been preparing for her TV comeback as a judge on Australia’s Got Talent, which is set to air this year.