She could have been knocked off course by depression, self-doubt and alcohol addiction. But Susie Porter tells Jenny Brown she took the wheel to ensure life in her 40s and beyond were her most successful – and happiest – yet.
Susie Porter howls with laughter as a stiff breeze demolishes the tent in which she’s trying to get changed, almost baring her fluoro pink knickers to a ute-load of passing tradies. “I should have known better than to wear these,” the Wentworth star chuckles, more mortified by her way-out choice of underwear than the sudden and untoward exposure (on a quiet cul-de-sac in one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs).
She’s sunny, funny, gregarious, thoughtful and endlessly obliging, so it’s hard to imagine Susie has ever struggled with depression, a crippling lack of self-worth and a “destructive” love-hate relationship with alcohol. Yet, surprisingly, that darker side emerges in a candid, no-holds-barred chat on what turns out to be the award-winning actor’s ninth wedding anniversary.
Marrying in her late thirties came as a beautiful surprise to Susie, who speaks of husband Christopher Mordue with the wonderment of someone who just discovered a rainbow-coloured unicorn grazing on their innercity balcony. “There were times I did wonder if settling down with someone was going to happen to me,” she confides, cuddling the couple’s adored rescue dog, the elderly and arthritic Lady Gracie. “But I felt that if it was meant to happen, it would. It was all about the time being right.”
She was fatalistic about being single, but love came half way around the world to find her – in the shape of Christopher, a British psychotherapist, a friend for 21 years before they finally connected. “Imagine! We’ve been married for nine whole years,” Susie exclaims, still slightly disbelieving. She seldom refers to her spouse by name, but speaks frequently of “my husband” with a beaming delight as obvious as it is heart-warming.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2019-Ausgabe von The Australian Women's Weekly.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 2019-Ausgabe von The Australian Women's Weekly.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
