The Millionaire Hot Seat host shared a message with fans after a tumultuous time.
“I’m 61. Once upon a time I thought that I would probably be ‘winding down’ by now,” former Packed to the Rafters star Rebecca Gibney shared in a candid Instagram post on June 13.
The beloved Australian actress was making a return to the spotlight more than two months after announcing she was taking a break from social media because she had “stopped fully living in the present” and needed to “reconnect” with her husband, dogs and herself.
On April 3, the Millionaire Hot Seat host confessed she had been spending “way too much time” staring at her phone and was finding it “all a waste of very precious time”.
Since then, the star has continued to post, albeit infrequently. On May 26, she revealed there had been some “stuff” going on behind the scenes during her time away, including the hospitalisation of her beloved mother, Shirley. However, she reassured fans that her mum was “doing well”.
Now, in a new post, Rebecca has shared how she is still keen to “push the boundaries” by taking herself out of her “comfort zone”.
“Life is about change and people will always have perceptions of what you may or may not be capable of,” the actress mused.
“We are often told we can’t do something – we’re too young, too loud, too quiet… too old.”
Reflecting on the concept of “winding down”, the star explained how “society kind of tells us that’s what should happen”.
“We become ‘invisible’ as we get older. But that’s only true if we want it to be,” Rebecca went on. “It can also be the beginning of the next chapter.
“It’s a time for reflection and reinvention and the beauty of getting to this age is that I’m not dependant on anyone else’s opinion to do whatever I want with my life.
“I am an actor and I love my job. But I’m also a gardener, a bird watcher (never thought that would happen) a dancer, a traveller, a cook, a dreamer, an adventurer… the list goes on.”
Rebecca ended with a message of positivity to her almost 250,000 followers.
“Life is a gift and a privilege and it goes by in the blink of an eye. Make your mark. Do the thing. For you,” she wrote.
Indeed, the star previously revealed how her break from social media had allowed her to spend time with her eldest brother and her husband Richard, and that she “highly recommends” spending more time “in the garden and way less on SM [social media].”
A source previously told Woman’s Day how Richard was the one who encouraged the star to take a break from social media in the first place, after she “let the trolls get to her” for going public with her ADHD diagnosis.
“Rebecca prides herself on being a survivor – and she’s done a lot of self-work rebuilding from the horrors of her past, but Richard can’t bear to see her confidence falter over a troll online,” the insider explained.
“Rebecca worked so hard to let only trusted loved ones into her world, so why not do it online?”
The source said that Rebecca enjoyed “getting away from negative scenes and focusing on family”.
“She and Richard have been on long dog walks and now talking about a new veggie bed in the garden,” the insider added.
“They thrive in the outdoors and turning off the screens has revived them after a tough year. They’ve started laughing together again.”