The coming of age of Kate
Having grown up in the public eye, even Kate Ritchie can’t quite believe she’s 40, but right now she’s relishing the joys of being in her prime.
She’s 40, fabulously fit, hugely successful and reveals how, finally, she’s confident in her own skin
I’M SLOWLY LEARNING TO BE MORE KIND AND LESS CRITICAL OF MY BODY, AND GEE IT’S NICE.
Kate Ritchie is a picture in pink, one of her all-time favourite colours, as she moves with the confidence and skill of a seasoned model for our photographer. Then she catches a glimpse of herself in the monitor and gasps, “Oh! I’m actually a real grown woman!”
Then she laughs. At 40, Kate is indeed a real grown woman; a lovely, kind and elegant version of the girl we’ve watched mature from a sweet 10-year-old on Home and Away. That kind of fame, she explains, does funny things to how you see yourself.
“For a lot of my youth, I was on the television every night, so without looking in the mirror, I still think of myself as that young woman,” she says. “And I don’t really feel any different. It’s only when the young boy in the coffee shop will call you Ma’am that you realise that you’re not 25 anymore.”
But today, we’re here to celebrate the woman who not only looks fantastically healthy and fit, but has reached that lovely point in life where she’s comfortable in her own skin. In fact, she’s become something of an accidental role model for positive
ageing, thanks to her ad campaign for Jockey underwear, where she flaunts her terrifically toned body and urges women to be comfortable in their own skin. (Though she admits that she recently broke up with her gym when her ads would pop up on the TV monitors while she was on the treadmill. “Yeah, that was a bit much! I’ve got a treadmill at home now,” she says.)
Her Jockey campaign reveals a woman who’s in her prime and confident in her own sexuality. And yet mention of how it must have taken guts to strip down to her undies for billboards brings Kate to peals of self-conscious laughter.
“I’m not quite sure how we arrived here
[at doing this ad campaign] but I’m so glad that I did,” she says. “First of all, I’ve never seen myself that way – yes, in the privacy of my own home, but not in public. Part of the battle was thinking, ‘That’s not how other people see me and perhaps they don’t want to see me like that.’ But then I realised that one day I’m going to be an 80-year-old woman, and that woman is going to say to my 40-year-old self, ‘What on earth are you worried about? Why didn’t you have a go and feel great? Why don’t you lead by example? ’ ”
BODY CONFIDENCE
Kate also credits her daughter, Mae, now four, with being pivotal in boosting her body confidence. “I think that has happened as a result of experiencing pregnancy and being in awe of what my body is capable of. It’s not all about how we’re looking,” she says.
“And I’ve realised that having a little person listen to the way that I talk about myself has been a very good lesson in being more kind to myself because, let’s be honest, we’re all our most harsh critics. When I think of some of the things I’ve probably murmured to myself in front of the mirror over the years, or when I’ve been trying on a pair of jeans in the change room of David Jones, I would hate for my daughter to talk to herself that way. So it’s a habit that I’m slowly changing, thanks to her. And gee it’s nice. I think I’m far more kind to myself these days.”
TEENAGE STRUGGLES
Kate openly admits that this self-acceptance eluded her when she was younger. “I’m a very different person to what I was. I’m a lot wiser,” she says. With the wisdom of life experience, what would Kate want to say to her younger self?
“The person that I’d need to chat to is maybe the 15-year-old Kate. And it probably is to just sit tight, and know that the good things will come.”
Then Kate’s eyes brim with emotion. “Also, to tell myself that being good is really important. I don’t mean good at what you do, I mean being a good person and being a kind person, and not always having to be the best or the most popular or the prettiest – all those other things you strive for when you’re growing up.
“I felt at times as though I was left behind in those stakes. In those teenage years, I was watching all of this glitz and glamour go on around me and people were achieving things that perhaps I wasn’t. But now I realise I’ve been able to achieve lots of great things and have all these career highs, still being good to people. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to get upset, but I’ve seen around me a lot people get to where they are by not necessarily being good, and that can be incredibly disheartening. E
I’M SO PROUD I DIDN’T CHANGE WHO I WAS TO GET SOMEWHERE.
“For me, I’m so proud that I didn’t change who I was to get somewhere. And the universe has rewarded me incredibly and I am very thankful for that.”
As part of this grounded outlook, Kate lives her life out of the spotlight, with husband, rugby league coach Stuart Webb, and Mae.
Like many working mums, she’s up at 6am, to get things done before the family wakes up. She takes Mae to preschool several days a week, then comes home to prep for her drive-time radio show on Nova FM.
“I don’t think work/life balance is a myth for me,” Kate says. “A lot of that has come from being blessed with a job like Kate, Tim & Marty. It’s basically a full-time job that involves being on air for two hours. I don’t want to underplay the work that does go into it but, as a result of me having a job like that, I can do other things. I can write [Kate has published two children’s books] and I can spend time with Mae and not be so bogged down with work on days when I don’t really want to be. It’s pretty good at the moment.”
KEEPING FIT
Within her routine, Kate manages to fit in time for fitness training three times a week. “Consistency really is the key,” she says.
“People have been telling me that for years, but it turns out that it’s true.
“I do a lot of pilates with my instructor June Jones [the original presenter of Aerobics Oz
Style]. She’s so great and I think I’m a bit attached; I’m almost quietly begging for her approval.
There must be something deeper going on there!” she says with a laugh.
And while life is sweet right now, there’s still more to come from Kate Ritchie. “I really want to learn to horse ride, and I want to learn sign language with Mae, as she’s been learning it at daycare.
“As far as ambitions go, I’d really like to write a cookbook. And I’d really like to work in television again. I’ll probably get sidetracked and learn horseriding and sign language and not get around to the others. But you’ve got to have a dream!”
With her warmth and quiet diligence, don’t be surprised at what Kate does next.