Shock video shows troubled Nova 96.9 radio star Kate Ritchie visiting a bottle shop and breaking down in tears at a park after delaying her return to the airwaves
Kate Ritchie looked incredibly worse for wear on Wednesday during a series of events that saw her visiting a bottle shop and breaking down in tears at a park, after delaying her return to the airwaves.
The Nova 96.9 radio host, 46, appeared dishevelled throughout the afternoon as the incidents unfolded within just a few hours.
Earlier in the afternoon, Ritchie was all smiles while talking to a neighbour outside her home.
Dressed in a beige long-sleeved shirt and matching shoes, along with relaxed blue jeans and a brown baseball cap, she engaged in a casual conversation, before smiling and waving as she approached a red Hyundai i30 parked in her garage with a set of car keys in her hand.
Minutes later, Ritchie parked the Hyundai outside a BWS bottle shop located just a short distance from her home.
An eyewitness told Daily Mail Australia that the radio star entered the bottle shop before returning to her car and driving away to pick up her 10-year-old daughter, Mae, from her first day back at primary school.
Kate Ritchie looked incredibly worse for wear on Wednesday during a series of events that saw her visiting a bottle shop and breaking down in tears at a park, after delaying her return to the airwaves
The radio host, 46, seemed dishevelled throughout the afternoon as the incidents unfolded within just a few hours
‘I had just pulled up outside the bottle shop when I noticed Kate Ritchie was coming out,’ a local told Daily Mail Australia.
‘She was looking down at the ground as though she didn’t want anyone to notice her and she was wearing a baseball cap but it was unmistakably her – I’d recognise her anywhere.’
After collecting Mae, who she shares with ex-husband Stuart Webb, Ritchie drove to a nearby park where she sat on the grass to take a phone call.
Video obtained by Daily Mail Australia 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.’
Earlier in the afternoon, a makeup-free Ritchie was seen talking to a neighbour outside her home
Ritchie seemed to engage in a casual conversation, smiling and waving before approaching a red Hyundai i30 parked in her garage
She was seen holding a set of car keys in her left hand, while a brown cross body bag was slung over her shoulder
Ritchie’s daughter stayed in the car as she sat in the park. The vehicle was idle, but the engine was running.
The actress, who is set to star in the ABC’s 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.
The incident has reportedly raised significant concerns within Nova, given Ritchie’s ongoing struggle with her personal demons.
Station insiders revealed staff were caught completely off guard by the former soap star’s absence on Monday.
It was supposed to be Ritchie’s first day back on air on her popular breakfast radio program for the year alongside co-hosts Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald and Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli.
‘Everyone was in a bit of a panic because we had absolutely no idea where Kate was at first,’ one well-placed source told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We kept thinking she would be walking in at any moment and go straight on-air – that she’d just been caught in traffic or something – but, as the day wore on, it eventually became clear she wasn’t coming.
‘We were so worried about her – it wasn’t until the show was over that we heard she was going to be off all week because her daughter sick and she needed to stay home and care for her.’
Ritchie emerged from the red Hyundai parked outside a BWS bottle shop
An eyewitness told Daily Mail Australia that she had entered the shop
The actress returned to her car and drove to pick up her daughter, who was at primary school
After collecting Mae, Kate drove to a nearby park where she sat on the grass to take a call
Video obtained by Daily Mail Australia shows the former actress crying while on the phone
Chrissie Swan is currently filling in for Ritchie, with sources saying she had been put on standby in case the absentee presenter ended up taking an extended leave of absence from the show.
They said they were surprised to learn Ritchie, who gets paid more than $1million per year to front Nova’s flagship Sydney show, had been seen picking her daughter up from school – but hoped that meant the youngster was on the mend.
The former Home and Away star’s absence will also 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.
A witness, who saw Ritchie get out of the car at the park, said the star ‘looked really distressed’
‘It was really confronting – to me, she looked so upset. When she turned around her eyes were all red and puffy and she looked absolutely devastated,’ the person said
Ritchie’s daughter stayed in the car as she sat in the park
‘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 Melbourne and he’s being beamed into the studio on the big screen, which honestly isn’t ideal, and as good as Wippa isn’t, 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.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ritchie’s representatives and Nova Entertainment for comment.
Ritchie’s shock appearance comes after she was involved in a multi-vehicle collision last November.
She was reportedly behind the wheel of her black BMW X5 xDrive40i 2023 when the incident unfolded on Dudley Street, 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.
She hung up the phone and began texting someone while rocking back and forth on the grass
The actress was then seen struggling to get up from the grass
Ritchie appeared to stumble as she made her way back to the car
A witness said she took another phone call and appeared to be in better spirits
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, Kate expressed her need to leave promptly to pick up Mae.
He added that Kate 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.
Eyes still red from the previous call, Ritchie smiled and laughed while chatting on the road
She later handed her phone to her daughter through the rear passenger window before walking around to the back of the vehicle
Chrissie Swan is currently filling in for Ritchie, with sources saying she had been put on standby in case the absentee presenter ended up taking an extended leave of absence
The radio star appeared to see the funny side of it all as she laughed with her driver while clinging to her phone.
However, her night appeared to end early as she never attended the event, simply getting back into the car before being driven back home.
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, Kate, Tim and Joel, 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.
Ritchie’s shock appearance comes after she was involved in a multi-vehicle collision last November
She was reportedly behind the wheel of her black BMW X5 xDrive40i 2023 when the incident unfolded on Dudley Street, 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
In August 2024, Ritchie was seen stumbling as she tried to get out of her chauffeur-driven car in Camperdown while attending an event in Sydney
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.
