She’s been in front of the camera for most of her life and is now one of the biggest radio stars in the country, so it’s no surprise just how at ease Kate Ritchie is swanning about in a gown, while floating in a swimming pool. Gorgeous inside and out, the 40-year-old mum-of-one reveals, over the years her definition of beauty has changed.
WATCH: Kate Ritchie on what beautiful means to her
How do you define the word “Beautiful”?
The older I get, I think defining beauty is more about a feeling rather than something you can set your eyes on. Although, that doesn’t mean you can’t see beauty. What I think is beautiful, obviously I think my daughter Mae is beautiful but these days I see so much beauty when I’m in my garden and it’s a whole combination of what I can see and the ease I feel when I’m there.
Do you get the same feeling when you’re at work?
First and foremost, I love this industry because I know it so well and because I started working with this wonderful group and tribe [on Home and Away] when I was 8 years old. I have a real emotional attachment to it and therefore it creates a feeling of safety and security as well. I’m most at ease on a set. I absolutely love it and all the creativity around me.
It also must be fun that every day is different?
I love that it’s different everyday and I love that it can also feel like a great big wonderful family. I’ve always had the pleasure of working in places that feel like that. [The industry] ticks a lot of boxes for me. Maybe I keep doing it because I don’t know anything else. I’m completely under qualified and I didn’t go to university but yes, it’s what’s in my heart I suppose. I also know I’m incredibly blessed because lots of people have to go to work at a job they don’t like very much every day.
What do you like to get up to when you have a free moment?
As I’ve grown and matured, I’ve realised exercise is more of a necessity than a choice. And that’s less about what size jeans I plan to fit into and more about longevity and good health and fitness and being as energetic a parent as much as I possibly can be,” she explains. “You start to realise you need to love and respect your body a bit more than you have over the years and you need to make some positive changes. I’m certainly not fanatical about things like that and I never have been. I just always try to be the best version of me, rather than trying to compare myself with those around me. I think that quietens the mind. It’s very important for the mind.