Kate Ritchie breaks her social media silence as she takes time off from her Nova radio gig to focus on her mental health after she was caught on camera in her very public meltdown

Kate Ritchie has returned to social media, two weeks after images emerged of the media star acting erratically while picking up her daughter.

The Nova 96.9 Sydney radio host, 46, appeared dishevelled in January after she was spotted visiting a bottle shop and breaking down in tears at a park.

Now, more than a week after releasing a statement regarding her mental health struggles, the former Home and Away star has resurfaced on Instagram to plug her upcoming ABC series, The Role of A Lifetime.

Ritchie re-posted the poster art for the comedy-documentary series, which premieres February 18 and explores the challenges of parenting.

In a statement shared to Instagram last Monday, Ritchie explained 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.’

Ritchie 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.

Ritchie 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.

The radio star has been shuttered away in her ritzy Randwick home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs as she contended with the fallout from the alarming incident.

Ritchie’s agent Mark Morrissey and fellow manager Erin Keneally were seen arriving at the former Home and Away star’s home before leaving separately about an hour later.

On the day the pictures were taken, Ritchie drove to a BWS bottle shop near her home shortly after 3pm before picking up her daughter Mae from school and heading to a nearby park.

The video obtained by Daily Mail Australia then shows the former actress crying while on the phone, wiping tears from her eyes and burying her head in her hands.

A witness, who saw Ritchie get out of the car at the park, said the star ‘looked really distressed’.

‘She walked around a bit in the park while talking and then suddenly she sat down and started rocking her whole body back and forth and crying,’ they said.

‘It was really confronting – she looked so upset. When she turned around her eyes were all red and puffy and she looked absolutely devastated.’

Ritchie’s daughter stayed in the car as she sat in the park, leaving the vehicle idle but the engine running.

The actress, who is set to front in the ABC’s upcoming parenting special The Role of a Lifetime, was then seen struggling to get up from the grass.

‘After the call ended, she tried to stand up but lost her balance and sort of fell over again,’ the bystander added.

‘When she finally managed to get to her feet, she started making another phone call… she looked much happier during that call.’

Handing her daughter her phone through the rear passenger window, Ritchie then walked around to the back of the vehicle – holding an arm out on the car as she got into the driver’s seat and drove home. 

At the time, Nova’s co-hosts had promised their audience that the absent Ritchie would return after one day off, but that timeline was soon dropped.

Ritchie’s absence is said to have come as a considerable concern to the station’s executives, who have done everything they can to help support her in the key role.

Given her enduring popularity with their audience, Ritchie has been the central ingredient to the show’s increasing success.

Although Nova’s breakfast team still trail in sixth place in the Sydney radio market with 7.4 per cent of the available audience, the program’s audience has been growing and had picked up 0.5 percentage points in last month’s rating survey.

‘Kate is absolutely crucial if we’re going to have any chance of taking on the timeslot’s big guns,’ one station source said.

‘Fitzy’s moved back to Adelaide and he’s being beamed into the studio on the big screen, which honestly isn’t ideal, and as good as Wippa is, he can’t hold it all together alone.

‘Kate’s arguably the biggest star and the best reason to tune in, so to have her missing in action is a massive dilemma.

‘We just hope she’s alright and that she will be back soon.’

Ritchie’s shock appearance comes after she was involved in a multi-vehicle collision last November in Randwick.

According to eyewitness accounts, Ritchie’s BMW collided with a parked Mitsubishi Pajero, forcefully pushing it off the road and into a parked Kia.

The owner of the Kia, who wished to remain anonymous, identified the Home and Away actress as the driver of the BMW and confirmed that Ritchie shared her details with him following the collision.

After the exchange, Ritchie expressed her need to leave promptly to pick up Mae.

He added that Ritchie said her personal assistant would follow up on the matter.

NSW Police did not attend the scene.

All three vehicles involved suffered substantial damage and were later towed away from the suburban street. 

Months prior, in August, Ritchie was seen stumbling as she tried to get out of her chauffeur-driven car in Camperdown while attending an event in Sydney.

She appeared to lose her footing as she exited the vehicle, slipping back and landing on the floor.

Her driver was quick to assist getting her out of the car, holding her clutch and fetching her dropped keys from the ground, before he helped her back into the vehicle.

Ritchie has been candid about her struggles in the past after she checked into private Sydney rehab centre to get help for ‘alcohol dependency’ back in 2022.

At the time, she had stepped down from her role on Nova’s drive show after being charged with drink-driving just weeks earlier.

Ritchie returned a reading of 0.06 – just over the legal limit – when she was stopped by police for a random breath test in her station wagon at Pagewood at 2.45pm on August 22.

She was fined $600, suspended from driving for three months, and apologised on Instagram.

In December 2022, she said in a statement that the year had been challenging and stressful which led to an ‘unhealthy reliance on alcohol’. 

‘Recently I undertook a random breath test,’ she wrote. ‘Although it was low level, the test came back positive.

‘I made a poor decision and there is no doubt I understand the seriousness of my actions. I am truly sorry.’

In March 2023, the star told The Sunday Telegraph that after struggling with several personal challenges she decided it was time to seek help.

‘It was a long time coming. I sought professional help, the help that I needed. Sometimes enough is enough,’ she said.

‘Life has thrown me its challenges over the last few years, but I am not alone in that. I was fortunate to be able to take time.

‘I just wanted to be a better version of myself for me and my family.’

If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.