KATE’S SAD DOWNFALL
Shock drink-driving charges have cast a dark cloud over her career
The whole country was shocked to learn that Australia’s sweetheart, Kate Ritchie, had been arrested for drink driving last week. The former soap star and radio personality, 44, returned a reading of 0.06 after she was pulled over for a random breath test last Monday. Kate was swiftly taken to Maroubra Police Station in Sydney, where she was fined and suspended from driving for three months.
Despite the wide-ranging shock from fans, who were rocked by the news, those close to the actress tell Woman’s Day the
writing has been on the wall for some time.
“Sadly, everyone who knows her and loves her is aware she’s had a difficult last few years,” says a source, who reveals that away from the spotlight things have been tough for Kate.
Since leaving Home And Away in 2008, Kate has been “a bit of a lost soul”, admits the source. The breakdown of her turbulent marriage to former NRL player Stuart Webb – who, too, has been arrested for drink-driving – and her struggle to separate her own identity from her character Sally Fletcher, who she’d played on the long-running soap for more than half her life, are said to have begun “slowly eating away” at her.
‘Sadly, everyone knows she’s had a difficult few years’
“Kate has never known anything different – while other kids were being kids, Kate was forging a career – and she was only eight years old,” says the insider. Kate, who hasn’t been seen since the news was made public last week, is said to be leaning heavily on her Home And Away
“family”, including her former co-stars Lynne Mcgranger and Ray Meagher for advice. But the insider says they’re all going to urge her to “step away from the limelight”, recalibrate her life and concentrate on being a mum to daughter Mae, eight.
Taking to social media shortly after her shock arrest, Kate said she had “made a poor decision” and she was “truly sorry”. “There is no doubt I understand the seriousness of my actions,” she added.
The admission comes at a crucial time for Kate. This month the actress was in the middle of promoting her big TV comeback on the family-friendly Australia’s Got Talent, and is also said to be in the middle of negotiating her contract with Nova, where she currently hosts the drive show alongside Tim Blackwell and Joel Creasey.
Talking to the media, an industry source spilled that the drink-driving incident would have certainly thrown a spanner in the works with her drive-time contract. Current fill-in Ricki-lee Coulter has been tipped to replace her, given she costs a fraction of Kate’s rumoured $1 million salary and is popular with listeners.
Kate was noticeably absent from co-host Joel’s 32nd birthday early last month, fuelling more rumours she was set to walk away from the show.
However, Nova has done its best to stop speculation, with a network spokesperson insisting they have “no plans to change” the current line-up.
It still remains to be seen what will come of Kate’s future or when she will return to work on radio, but one thing is certain, she’s surrounded by lots of support.