‘My coping strategy is denial’: TV presenter Antonia Kidman talks candidly about her ‘bittersweet’ move back to Australia after almost 10 years of living abroad in Singapore
Antonia Kidman has spoken about her family’s difficult decision to return to Australia after almost 10 years of living in Singapore.
In an editorial piece for 9Honey on Wednesday, the 49-year-old TV presenter labelled the move back home as ‘bittersweet’.
‘Relocating to Sydney after almost a decade in Singapore triggers all sorts of emotions,’ she admitted.
Home sweet home: Antonia Kidman has spoken about her family’s difficult decision to return to Australia after almost 10 years of living in Singapore
Antonia said while she was used to seeing friends come and go from Singapore, it felt strange to be the one leaving.
And she confessed packing up their home had also been challenging, describing it as ‘an arduous task’.
She said she had implemented a rule that if something hadn’t been worn or used in six months, it had to be thrown out.
Get packing: She confessed packing up their home had also been challenging, describing it as ‘an arduous task’
‘I felt sick at the amount of stuff we had accumulated over the years – and I thought we were pretty lean already,’ she added.
Antonia said she had been ‘ruthlessly sifting through and organising our possessions’ in the lead up to the move.
‘Now, it feels great, the process of simplification. It’s motivated by a desire to begin our next chapter unencumbered by junk,’ she added.
Sad to go: In an editorial for 9Honey on Wednesday, the 49-year-old TV presenter labelled the move back home as ‘bittersweet’. Pictured with friends
The younger sister of actress Nicole Kidman, 52, Antonia said while preparing to move back home to Australia had been stressful, it was also a welcome distraction.
She confessed that she finds change hard, putting it down to her ‘sentimental nature’.
‘I haven’t so much as hardened up, but rather adapted – and my coping strategy is denial,’ she admitted.
Getting her mind off it: Antonia said while preparing to move back home to Australia had been stressful, it was also a welcome distraction. Pictured with sister Nicole Kidman
Outside of family and close friends, Antonia said she hadn’t told anyone about her family’s move, explaining it was ‘too confronting to contemplate’.
She said their time in Singapore had brought about a series of life-altering experiences, including the birth of her two youngest children, Nicholas, nine, and Alexander, seven, with her husband of 10 years, Craig Marran.
But as ‘hard’ and ‘sad’ as their move is, Antonia said she always intended on returning home to Australia at some point, and she felt now was the ‘right’ time.
Keeping it to herself: Outside of family and close friends, Antonia said she hadn’t told anyone about her family’s move, explaining it was ‘too confronting to contemplate’