She portrayed Sally Fletcher on long-running soap Home and Away for 20 years.
And now Kate Ritchie has candidly revealed her body image struggles while growing up in the public eye.
Speaking to Good Health Magazine, the 39-year-old actress said she felt ‘self conscious’ when people would comment on her weight.
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‘People would say “wow you’re not as fat as I thought you were”‘: Kate Ritchie reveals her body image struggles after growing up in the public eye on Home and Away
The Nova star also revealed some of the nasty things people would say to her.
‘I spent the formative years of my life having people come up and say “wow, you’re not as fat as I thought you were”,’ she told the publication.
Kate, who starred on the show from 1988 to 2008, said quite often people thought they were giving her a complement, but understandably it had a negative impact on her.
‘It comes from an honest place but I can’t deny that in some ways it made me develop a self-consciousness,’ she said.
‘I spent the formative years of my life having people come up and say “wow, you’re not as fat as I thought you were”’: The Nova star also revealed some of the nasty things people would say to her
The starlet, who keeps her slender figure in shape with a mix of Pilates and walking, said she now watches her own words while discussing her body around her daughter Mae, three.
The Summer Bay fan favourite said she was conscious of curtailing any behaviour of feeling self conscious in order to be a good role model for her daughter.
Gorgeous! The starlet, who keeps her slender figure in shape with a mix of Pilates and walking, said she now watches her own words while discussing her body around her daughter Mae, three
Shining star: Kate is now a popular radio host on Nova FM
Kate is now a popular radio host on Nova FM.
She is married to former rugby league player Stuart Webb and the couple share daughter Mae.
Last December, the brunette beauty addressed rumours of troubles in her marriage during an interview with Stellar magazine.
‘It doesn’t hurt my feelings, not anymore,’ she said at the time.
‘I think in the old days it did. There’s no point in getting bogged down about what other people think is happening in my life.’
Kate also claimed that she and Bec Hewitt, her former co-star on Home and Away, often joke about which one of them makes it into the gossip ma