When Andrew Nixon wanted a wife, he did what all good Aussie farmers do and turned to TV. But little did he expect he’d find his fiancée on Grey’s Anatomy instead of Channel 7’s hit reality dating show.
Kate Walsh is now set to permanently settle in Oz as she prepares to make her way down the aisle to tie the knot with Nixon. The 55-year-old star of hit shows including The Umbrella Academy and Emily in Paris says she’s never been happier since setting up home in Perth.
“I really love Western Australia … I think nature here eclipses everything. It drives me,” Walsh tells news.com.au. “I like the slowness. It’s really good for me. And then you go back overseas and you’re like, ‘Oh, my God. People are insane,’” she adds with a laugh.
Back in Hollywood, Walsh admits to feeling a very relatable problem – that her life lacked “balance”. Since embracing a more laid-back lifestyle here, she says there is no turning back for her now.
“I think a lot of people can relate, whether it’s some big event or a health crisis, or a marriage ending, or a loss of a loved one, you’re like, ‘OK, I’m still here. Part two,’” she says. “And then, I fell in love with an Aussie, and here I am. And I love it. I’m very grateful.”
However, don’t expect to see Walsh trading in Grey Sloan Memorial for the diner at Summer Bay anytime soon. After all, Hollywood is just a plane ride away.
“I feel very fortunate I can pop back to LA, go to work, and then come back here and live my best life,” she explains.
While Walsh’s serendipitous tale of finding love in lockdown after getting “stuck” in Australia at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 has become the stuff of legends, it was quite as accidental as it seemed. The actress, who divorced first husband, 20th Century Fox executive Alex Young, in 2010, was in town to visit Nixon after they hit it off after meeting during an expedition to Antarctica with National Geographic earlier that year.
“It was an incredible trip and bonus, you know, I found the love of my life,” Walsh said during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “Saw the penguins, check. Ice, check. Whales, check. Man, check,” she quipped.
The pair made their public debut in October 2022 at Telethon Gala in Perth, which raises money for charity.
As for her favourite thing about Perth – except for her fiancé that is – Walsh admits it feels a bit like being on a permanent vacation.
“It’s much slower, a little more island time, but it’s also incredibly progressive and glamorous,” she tells Australian Vogue Living. “I love that there’s a great food culture.”
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