It’s been two decades since Melbourne’s queen WAG Rebecca Judd made her sizzling red carpet debut at the 2004 Brownlow Medal.
And life has certainly changed for the wife of retired AFL star Chris Judd since that fateful evening.
Once a no-name model from Western Australia, the glamazon, 41, now boasts a varied and glittering career a television presenter, influencer, radio presenter, author and business owner.
So how did one red dress launch the woman once known as Rebecca Twigley into the stratosphere?
This week, the popular Outspoken podcast, hosted by sisters Amy, Sophie and Kate Taeuber, took a deep dive into Rebecca’s rise to fame, and how she became known as Australia’s preeminent footy WAG.
Rebecca Judd, 41, went from a little known Western Australian model to the Queen B of Melbourne after shooting to prominence with a racy red dress at the 2004 Brownlow Medal (pictured at the event)
Rebecca burst onto the scene at age 21 when she wore a red dress with a plunging neckline to the 2004 Brownlow Medal alongside her then-boyfriend Chris.
The outfit, which boasted a neckline that dipped below her belly button and a daring thigh split, was created by Perth designer Ruth Tarvydas, and was valued at $2,000.
‘Chris and Bec, they’d been dating for just 10 months, and they were based in Perth at the time, and whilst Chris was known in football circles around Perth, Bec had a tiny bit of a profile. But she wasn’t known nationally at all,’ one sister said.
Rebecca burst onto the scene at age 21 when she wore a red dress with a plunging neckline to the 2004 Brownlow Medal alongside her then-boyfriend, AFL star Chris (right)
‘Chris had a bit of a standout season that year for the Eagles, so he was a favourite to take out the Brownlow medal.’
‘Yeah, and all eyes were really supposed to be on Chris at the time, but it was Bec who caught everyone’s attention,’ another sister added.
While flesh-baring frocks are a dime a dozen on the red carpet these days, at the time Bec’s fashion decision raised plenty of eyebrows.
This week, the popular Outspoken podcast, hosted by sisters Amy, Sophie and Kate Taeuber (all pictured) took a deep dive into Rebecca’s rise to fame, and how she became known as Australia’s preeminent footy WAG
The Taeubers noted how Bec instantly stole the show, with one explaining: ‘This was 19 years ago. None of us had ever seen a dress like this on the red carpet. It was very risqué for the time.’
‘Well, she clearly knew what she was doing,’ another said, adding: ‘She was smart enough to know that this was a branding opportunity and all eyes were going be on her, because her partner was touted as taking home the Brownlow that year.’
While Bec has since credited the red dress for launching her career, her flesh-baring display caused plenty of backlash at the time.
The Taeubers noted how Bec instantly stole the show, with one explaining: ‘This was 19 years ago. None of us had ever seen a dress like this on the red carpet. It was very risqué for the time’
‘There were just all these sort of, like, snide comments made about [Bec],’ one sister said of the live media coverage at the 2004 Brownlows.
‘It was kind of like these sort of piggish comments, and they kept going back like the camera kept panning onto her the whole time. And they were kind of like, demeaning her,’ she added.
Another sister noted that at one point, Bec actually picked up her menu during the ceremony so that she could block her cleavage from the ever-prying cameras.
Following the 2004 Brownlow Medal, Bec was inundated with offers from Australian TV networks offering her roles
Elsewhere, the Taeubers touched on how Bec’s daring display impacted the type of red carpet attire that was worn to footy award shows going forward.
The sisters noted that other WAGs have tried to replicate the shock caused by Bec’s appearance in the hopes that they too can launch a career in the spotlight.
Speaking to the Herald Sun at the time, Rebecca said of her famous look: ‘I really didn’t think it would grab that much attention, but I got hounded on the red carpet.
Following the 2004 Brownlow Medal, Bec was inundated with offers from Australian TV networks offering her roles. She is pictured preesenting the weather on Nine News Melbourne in 2014
‘Everyone wanted an interview and pictures.’
Chris subsequently told The Herald Sun the 2004 Brownlow was the night Bec became ‘public property’ and their lives changed forever.
‘It did feel like a before and after event. Some wonderful opportunities opened up from it. Life was just very different,’ said Chris, who was just 21 when he won the prestigious Brownlow Medal.
Leveraging her rising stardom, Bec also launched her Jaggad activewear line in 2013 with the help of her husband, AFL star Steven Greene and his wife Michelle (left)
‘Things around privacy, having a partner who was seemingly public property as well, there were a lot of things to get used to and my memories are of a really special night, but an exclamation point between life before that and life after that as well.’
Following the 2004 Brownlow Medal, Bec was inundated with offers from Australian TV networks offering her roles.
She proceeded to work as a guest presenter on Nine Perth program Just Add Water, as well as presenting a news segment about Melbourne Cup fashion for Seven News in 2006.
A year later, Bec started working as a weekend weather presenter for Seven News in Perth.
She went on to join Nine Network, hosting travel program Postcards between 2011 and 2020, and presenting the weather on Nine News Melbourne in 2014.
Leveraging her rising stardom, Bec also launched her Jaggad activewear line in 2013 with the help of her husband, AFL star Steven Greene and his wife Michelle.
In 2017, she enjoyed a stint hosting KIIS FM’s 3pm Pick-Up alongside Monty Dimond and Yumi Styles, before launching her debut book ‘The Baby Bible’ a year later.
Bec is also an ambassador for a range of beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands including Myer, Klorane and Adairs.
The Judds tied the knot in 2010, and he retired from football five years later.
The couple, who live in a $7.3million mansion in Melbourne’s upmarket Brighton, share four children – daughter Billie, nine, son Oscar, 12, and twins Darcy and Tom, seven.
The Judds, who live in a $7.3million mansion in Melbourne’s upmarket Brighton, share four children – daughter Billie, nine, son Oscar, 12, and twins Darcy and Tom, seven (all pictured)
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