Former Neighbours star Madeleine West has spoken candidly about ‘loneliness’ at Christmas, after her ex-husband Shannon Bennett’s new romance was revealed.
In a lengthy post for Nine Honey, the 39-year-old Australian actress urged her fans to ‘hold those you love close.’
The mother-of-six said she recently ‘felt pretty darn sorry for herself’ when she was struck with a cold, until she was reminded of a time in her late teens when she really struggled.
‘Hold those you love close’: Madeleine West talked candidly about ‘loneliness’ at Christmas this week… after ex-husband Shannon Bennett’s new romance was revealed
Madeleine said she was living out of home in her final years of high school and had a flu when she accidentally flooded her apartment when running a bath.
She said she had fallen asleep when the tub was filling up and recalled breaking down as she tried to rid the apartment of water.
‘The other passion this episode has evoked within me with is a determination to ensure, wherever I can, that no-one is left alone, especially at Christmas,’ Madeleine said.
Reflecting: The mother-of-six said she recently ‘felt pretty darn sorry for herself’ when she was struck with a cold, until she was reminded of a time in her late teens when she really struggled
Candid: ‘The other passion this episode has evoked within me with is a determination to ensure, wherever I can, that no-one is left alone, especially at Christmas,’ Madeleine said
She said that Christmas Day is hard for some people who may not have people around them.
‘Independence builds character and resilience, and so is crucial in the evolution of self… loneliness however is crushing, to the spirit, the soul, to self esteem,’ she said.
Madeleine said that looking back from when she was a young teen flooding her apartment, she was ‘lost’ and felt ‘unheard, unseen, unloved… or more confronting: unloveable.’
She was ‘lost’: Madeleine said she was living out of home in her final years of high school and had a flu when she accidentally flooded her apartment when running a bath
She then urged readers to be nice to those around them and maybe even have a drink with a neighbour as it might ‘change their life’ if they are struggling.
‘Hold those you love close, and those who need your love closer,’ she wrote.
It comes after Madeleine’s ex-husband, celebrity chef Shannon Bennett, 44, was spotted kissing a mystery woman during a recent coastal walk in Byron Bay, with the pictures published by New Idea magazine earlier this month.
Over: It comes after Madeleine’s ex-husband, celebrity chef Shannon Bennett, 44, (left) was spotted kissing a mystery woman during a recent coastal walk in Byron Bay
In October, Madeleine, who started dating Shannon in 2004 and has six children with the MasterChef star, admitted it was unlikely they would ever get back together.
When asked about getting back together with Shannon following their split, Madeline said in October: ‘No. You know what? I’m a big believer that everything in life has a season. We change. We evolve.
‘The whole notion of being bound for life is not necessarily realistic.’
Speaking to The Kyle & Jackie O Show, she added: ‘At some point we go, “Well I have certain needs I want to have met and you’ve got certain needs and if the two don’t combine and cross in the middle, why fight it and be miserable?”
She concluded: ‘I don’t think that’s fair to the children either to see two parents that are constantly across purposes.’
‘Being bound for life is not necessarily realistic’: In October, Madeleine, 39, who stared dating Shannon in 2004 and has six children with the MasterChef star, admitted it was unlikely they would ever get back together