Australian actor and radio presenter Kate Ritchie has opened up about seeking professional help following her drink driving incident in August last year.
Ritchie was pulled over in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and blew a low-range alcohol reading. She was charged, fined and lost her license for three months. In recent years, Ritchie took out a restraining order on her ex-husband, who she separated from in 2020.
Speaking about the tumultuous past few years, Ritchie told Daily Telegraph that her decision to seek help “was a long time coming.”
She added, “I sought professional help, the help that I needed. I think what was most important was that I felt that I was able to do that because, for a long time, I think we all feel that we can keep putting one foot in front of the other and sometimes enough is enough,” Ritchie said.
“Life has thrown me its challenges over the last few years, but I am not alone in that.
Ritchie shocked fans when she stepped down from Nova’s Drive shift months after the drink driving charge. However, since receiving help the actress has decided that she’s ready to go back on the air. It was recently announced that the 44-year-old will be joining the Fitzy and Wippa show on Monday as a third host.
“I’m a huge fan of the show and I’ve been great mates with the boys for years. The past eight years on drive has been an important part of my life, but I’m thrilled to take on this new challenge by returning to breakfast radio in my hometown. I can’t wait to wake up Sydneysiders beside two of the industry’s much-loved breakfast announcers,” Ritchie said in a statement.
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‘Fitzy’ and ‘Wippa’ mirrored Ritchie’s excitement in their own statement.
“We’ve been annoying Kate around the office for 10 years, now we get to do it every morning. We are excited for our audience to hear how funny Kate thinks we are. Nova listeners have always loved Kate and now she’ll be served up every weekday. Please enjoy your breakfast,” they said.
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