Home and Away darling Kate Ritchie’s marriage to retired footballer Stuart Webb has been described as under stress, in trouble or over for at least three years.
Whenever the pair has been photographed together in recent months their body language has been called ‘strained’, ‘awkward’ and ‘tense’.
While Ritchie has maintained rumours of problems between the couple are untrue, Webb, who does not have his wife’s profile or public platform, has stayed quiet.
Last year a fed-up Ritchie directly addressed claims her nine-year marriage was failing in an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly.
‘Yes, of course it is wrong,’ she said. ‘Yes, of course it is baseless.
‘But I don’t want to say any more about it because I know that if I do then it will breathe life into it again and I don’t want to do that.
‘I have had to learn not to let it affect. So I consciously refuse to let it affect me.’
Home and Away darling Kate Ritchie’s marriage to retired footballer Stuart Webb has been described as under stress, in trouble or over for the past three years. The couple is pictured as they run errands near their home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in September this year
While Ritchie has maintained rumours of problems between the couple are baseless, Webb, who does not have his wife’s profile or public platform, has stayed quiet. They are pictured here at their wedding in 2010. The pair began dating in 2008 and became engaged in 2009
Daily Mail Australia has been told Ritchie and Webb have been spending weekends away in a bid to save their marriage. Whenever they have been photographed together recently their body language has been called ‘strained’, ‘awkward’ and ‘tense’. They are pictured in 2015
Daily Mail Australia has been told Ritchie and Webb, who have a five-year-old daughter, have recently been spending weekends away in a last bid to save their marriage.
But the apprehended violence order taken out by police to protect 41-year-old Ritchie against 39-year-old Webb is the strongest signal yet those efforts have not worked.
A NSW Police spokesman has confirmed officers were ‘investigating an incident at a home in Randwick’, where the couple lives, on Thursday but that no charges had been laid.
One of the conditions of the interim AVO is that Webb ‘not approach or be in the company of Katherine Leigh Ritchie for at least 12 hours after drinking alcohol or taking illicit drugs.’
The other conditions are standard requirements that he not assault, threaten, stalk, harass or intimidate the Gold Logie-winning actor turned radio star.
Ritchie is pictured at Sydney airport on Sunday after news police had taken out an AVO against her husband. On Saturday night Ritchie attended the 2019 Australian Commercial Radio Awards at Brisbane’s Royal International Convention Centre without Webb
Stuart Webb and Katie Ritchie arrive at the Logie Awards in Melbourne in 2014. Last year Ritchie directly addressed claims her nine-year marriage was failing in an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly. ‘Yes, of course it is wrong,’ she said. ‘Yes, of course it is baseless’
One of the conditions of the interim AVO is that Webb ‘not approach or be in the company of Katherine Leigh Ritchie for at least 12 hours after drinking alcohol or taking illicit drugs.’ The couple is pictured in a Sydney park after dropping their daughter off to school in May last year
Webb, who became a chef after quitting rugby league, also must not intentionally or recklessly destroy or damage any property that belongs to or is in the possession of his wife.
On Saturday night Ritchie attended the 2019 Australian Commercial Radio Awards at Brisbane’s Royal International Convention Centre without her husband, who has rarely been seen with her on the red carpet in recent times.
Webb is already awaiting sentence on a drink driving charge, his third such offence since he married Ritchie nine years ago.
After Webb was charged with mid-range drink driving in April it was reported Ritchie was dreading watching him face the possibility of jail time.
‘Kate is keeping a very low profile and preparing for the worst’, a close family friend of the couple allegedly told Woman’s Day.
‘She must be hoping this will be the wake-up call Stuart needs.’
In May it was reported Ritchie and Webb’s marriage was facing ‘undue stress’ as a result of his drink driving guilty plea. Woman’s Day claimed the legal matter had ‘exposed’ the couple and Ritchie was trying desperately to ‘keep their personal life private.’ They are pictured in 2014
On Saturday night Ritchie attended the 2019 Australian Commercial Radio Awards at Brisbane’s Royal International Convention Centre without Webb. The couple is pictured left at the 2009 AFI Awards and right at a function in Sydney the same year
Webb blew 0.083 when police stopped him in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on March 26. He had reportedly run a red light on Avoca Street in Randwick, just a short distance from the couple’s home, about 4pm.
Police soon learned Webb was also allegedly driving on a suspended licence.
That case is listed for mention at Waverley Local Court on Thursday when the AVO will be put before a magistrate for the first time.
In May it was reported Ritchie and Webb’s marriage was facing ‘undue stress’ as a result of the drink driving case.
At that time Woman’s Day claimed the legal matter had ‘exposed’ the couple and Ritchie was trying desperately to ‘keep their personal life private.’
A source told the magazine the scandal had been hard on the Nova Network presenter but Ritchie was ‘determined to keep going about her work and everyday business like normal.’
Webb has an unimpressive record of drink driving, having been found guilty of being over the limit while behind the wheel in 2012 and 2017.
A source told Woman’s Day that Ritchie was ‘determined to keep going about her work and everyday business like normal’ following Webb’s drink driving charge earlier this year
As far back as 2015 fans noticed Webb had stopped regularly appearing in Ritchie’s Instagram feed. About the same time she was spotted without her wedding ring.
Ritchie and Webb began dating in 2008 and announced their engagement the following year.
They wed in a countryside outdoor ceremony at Quamby Estate in Tasmania in 2010 and Ritchie gave birth to their daughter Mae in 2014.
Ritchie grew up in front of Australian television audiences after first appearing as Sally Fletcher on Home and Away aged nine in 1988.
She appeared on the program for the next 20 years, winning the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality in 2007 and 2008 and Silver Logies for Most Popular Actress from 2006 to 2008.
After leaving Home and Away Ritchie moved into radio but has had several acting roles since then including a brief return to Home and Away in 2013.
In 2014 Ritchie joined Tim Blackwell and Marty Sheargold as host of Nova’s top-rating drive show which on Saturday night won Best Networked Program and Best Syndicated Australian Program.
She has also written two children’s books, I Just Couldn’t Wait To Meet You and It’s Not Scribble to Me.
Webb has always had a lower profile. He played a total of 88 NRL games at hooker and lock for three clubs – Sydney Roosters, St George Illawarra and South Sydney – from 2003 to 2009.
Ritchie and Webb step out near their home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in September this year