JANA WENDT WHY SHE VANISHED!

Life as a celebrity was a challenge for the journalist

With a million-dollar-plus salary and one of the most recognisable voices in the nation, Jana Wendt was the face of a generation for almost 30 years. That was before she vanished from public life.

But the much-loved star, who became known as the "perfumed steamroller" for her combination of glamour, beauty and razor-sharp interviews, has assured the world she is very much "alive and kicking" and loving life out of the spotlight.

FOLLOWING HER PASSION

Jana, who quietly celebrated her 66th birthday last month, says she didn't ever imagine ending her famous TV career at 50, but now sees it as a blessing in disguise because it allowed her to pursue her passion for writing.

"I am ensconced in what is for me the new, and deeply personal, occupation of fiction writing. From where I sit, it is hard to imagine doing anything else," she revealed in a rare interview when she was inducted into the Australian Media Hall of Fame in 2014.

She may have been the most famous woman on TV for decades, but Jana and husband, former cameraman Brendan Ward, were always happier spending time out of the limelight at their Sydney home at Whale Beach.

It's where they raised their son Daniel, now 34, and where Jana retreated to after she left TV in 2006 when she was famously "boned" (sacked) by Eddie McGuire as host of current affairs show Sunday.