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Kate Ritchie calls out 'shocking' invasion of privacy: 'Unrelenting'
Kate Ritchie has slammed Daily Mail after they published photos of her entering and leaving a private mental health clinic in Sydney over the weekend.
The former Home and Away actress, who revealed in October that she would be stepping away from her Nova radio show for the rest of 2022 following a “hectic year”, took to Instagram on Thursday to share a lengthy statement calling out the publication for the “shocking invasion of [her] privacy”.
She told her followers that the past year has been “incredibly emotionally challenging” for her, which saw her develop “an unhealthy reliance on alcohol”.
“I decided to use this time to do something positive by getting the help I need from professionals who specialise in this area,” she wrote.
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“As everyone would understand, this is a very big step for me to take. I want to sincerely thank everybody who is supporting me.
“It is a shocking invasion of my privacy that the Daily Mail, through their unrelenting stalking of me, has forced me to issue this public statement, in their blatant attempt to publicly shame me on a private health matter.”
‘Stay strong’
Kate’s post was quickly flooded with supportive comments from her famous followers, including Rebecca Gibney, Sam Mac and Jennifer Hawkins.
“Sending healing vibes Kate,” her former Home and Away co-star Lynne McGranger said, followed by Melissa Doyle who added, “Sending you all our love & strength”.
“You’ve got this, you’ve come through everything with strength and dignity, be gentle with yourself, you deserve peace and happiness, sending love from my family to yours,” Leila McKinnon shared.
“We all love you Kate. Be kind to yourself,” Sally Obermeder replied, while Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli said he was “proud” and Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald wrote, “You’ve got this Kate, always here if you need to chat”.
“You are strong. Asking for help is strength. Getting help is true courage. Everything else is noise. Stay strong,” David Campbell commented.
“There’s so much strength to be found in vulnerability. Luckily you are a very strong woman and I have no doubt this time of healing will reveal an even better version of you! We love you,” Leisel Jones added.
Kate’s surprising radio announcement
Kate shared a statement in October that she would be leaving Kate, Tim & Joel for the remainder of the year but will return in 2023.
“This past year has been hectic for my family and I. I have had much change, like many of you, in a short space of time and it has taken its toll,” she said.
“So I’ve made the decision to take a short break to have more time for myself and my family to re-energise. I am so proud that our Nova show, with Tim [Blackwell] and Joel [Creasey] and the team, is just powering along, going from strength to strength. We love you, our listeners and you seem to put up with us!”
SHOP
Kate went on to promise that the break would only be temporary and she will return to the radio show in the new year.
“Thank you to the team, to Nova and to all of our fabulous listeners for your support and understanding,” she continued. “Although it’s only going to be for a short time, I will miss you all… See you for a game of Quick Draw in 2023!”
This year has seen Kate return to TV as a judge on Australia’s Got Talent and publish a family book, Everyday Play. She also filmed a new drama series The Claremont Murders in Perth, her first acting role in over nine years, which will air on Channel Seven in 2023.
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