Kate Ritchie has made a triumphant return to the airwaves, several months after taking a long hiatus to work on her mental health.
The Nova 96.9 Sydney breakfast radio host, 46, had been absent from the show since January after she had a very public meltdown in a Sydney park.
Joining her co-hosts Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli in the studio on Friday, Kate gushed: ‘It was very exciting to be back this morning.’
She went on to joke: ‘It was really awkward, and it felt like small talk. I noticed there’s a glass door where there wasn’t one before, and we have new carpet.’
‘Can you believe it? I was going to come back this week, and then I got a snotty nose… but I have to say, I think everything happens as it’s meant to happen.
Kate Ritchie, 46, (right, with co-host Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli) made a triumphant return to the airwaves on Friday, several months after taking a hiatus to work on her mental health
‘I love that I’m back here this morning and I’ve missed you.’
Fitzy and Wippa lavished Kate with praise, telling her how much they and the listeners had missed her over the past six months.
‘We’ve missed you, Kate. It’s so good to have you back, mate, it really is,’ Wippa said.
‘Sydney has missed you. I’ve had so many people stop me and say, ‘How’s Kate? When’s she coming back. We miss Kate.”
Joining her co-hosts Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli in the studio, Kate gushed: ‘It was very exciting to be back this morning.
‘That is lovely,’ Ritchie replied. ‘And I have heard much the same.’
Kate also joked that she’d forgotten how to do her job after so long away from the studio.
‘We just had a quick word during the song, and he was just running through a few of the rules that perhaps I may have forgotten while I was away,’ the mother-of-one mused.
Fitzy and Wippa wasted no time in poking fun at Kate for her absence, calling her break a ‘six-month holiday’, and joking: ‘Like Italy was great, you sent me photos from Indonesia, round-the-world trips.’
‘I’ve been everywhere, man. I’ve been everywhere,’ Kate smiled.
Kate then joked about her ‘diva’ demands that morning in the Nova carpark.
‘It was very exciting to be back this morning. Tommy met me in the car park in case somebody was parked in my spot because we didn’t want to kick off with me having a tantrum down there,’ Kate mused.
Fitzy and Wippa lavished Kate with praise, telling her how much they and the listeners had missed her over the past six months
‘No, that’s why you left last time,’ Wipfli joked.
Kate also shared a heartfelt message about her return, saying: ‘It is so good to be back, and I kind of want to really kind of stop down and talk too much about everything.’
‘But I just have to say, in all honesty, I have felt such gratitude, I think. And I’m not going to hit you with a hashtag blessed or anything like that. But I feel so incredibly grateful for the period of time that I have had away from the studio, and not only away from Nova, but away from lots of things.’
‘What has been the most important thing and the most different thing about things for me this time is that despite all of the support, and the love that I feel, I didn’t do it for anybody else. I did it for me,’ Kate said
‘Not only the support from you guys. And you, you know, Fitzy and Wippa, and Tommy and Jess, but the wider team and Nova has been amazing. But I kind of expected that it maybe it always would be.’
Kate went on to thank those who had contacted her during her absence.
‘The amount of people that have reached out to me over this period of time, and since earlier in the year, has been absolutely mind blowing. For people to bother to actually say without being intrusive, ‘Hey, it’s really nice to see you, hope you’re doing well. Can’t wait to hear you back on the radio.”
Kate concluded with a poignant message about self empowerment.
‘What has been the most important thing and the most different thing about things for me this time is that despite all of the support, and the love that I feel, I didn’t do it for anybody else. I did it for me,’ Kate said.
Fans were delighted to hear Kate’s voice again, with one commenting on the radio show’s Instagram page: ‘So glad you’re back Kate, I’ve missed you!’
‘I couldn’t believe my ears when I turned on the radio this morning!!! I’ve been waiting for this day! Welcome back Kate so great to hear your laughter back with us!’ another exclaimed.
Someone else noted it was ‘noble’ of Nova to ‘hold down Kate’s spot’ on the show ‘despite everything going on’.
Fans had grown worried that Kate would never return to the airwaves following her public meltdown in January.
Kate has been receiving ongoing support at a rehabilitation facility since her public meltdown, which saw her photographed in tears and appearing visibly distressed shortly after picking up daughter Mae from school.
Kate had released a statement to Instagram in February addressing the concerning photos and explaining why she was taking a break from her radio show.
‘I struggle with mental health issues at times, which are deeply personal. This has proven to be a bigger challenge than I imagined,’ she began.
‘So I have decided to take a break from the show and the team who I love to focus on my health. I want to thank all of those who are helping me through this very difficult time. I love you. Thank you Nova for being there when I need you.’
Kate went on to address the images taken on January 29.
‘This is also a problem many others are struggling with. They know what it’s like. The images of me taken last week show that I wasn’t okay on that day,’ she continued.
She went on to thank her friends and fans for their support over the past week.
‘Thank you to my wonderful family, all the Nova listeners, and many others who are sending their love and support. I appreciate it more than you can imagine,’ she wrote.
Fans were delighted to hear Kate’s voice again, with one commenting on the radio show’s Instagram page: ‘So glad you’re back Kate, I’ve missed you!’
At the time of Kate’s departure, Nova’s co-hosts had promised their audience the absent Kate would return after one day off, but that timeline was soon dropped.
Nova had remained tight-lipped on any potential comeback date and did not respond to questions about whether the embattled star had continued to receive pay during her absence.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .