Rebecca Gibney ‘FAME PUSHED ME TO THE BRINK'

The Under the Vines actress bravely opens up about motherhood, menopause and the mental breakdown that almost killed her.

- JUDY BAILEY

Thanks to her long-running role on Packed to the Rafters, she’s known by Aussies as “the Mother of the Nation” and when we chat, this mother is one happy camper. Her 17-year-old son Zac has just been accepted into this year’s intake at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School.

One of Aotearoa and Australia’s favourite leading ladies tells me with a broad grin that acting has been her only child’s passion for some time. In 2016, the Tasmanian-based family had temporarily relocated to Queenstown and were about to return, but it was Zac’s idea for them to stay on this side of the ditch.

“It has all the beauty and benefits of Australia without the snakes,” laughs Rebecca, 57, whose son has just finished his last year at King’s High School in Dunedin.

He was keen on university and thought he might study zoology, but a boys’ lunch with his dad, Kiwi filmmaker Richard Bell, changed his mind. Rebecca was on a shoot in Australia when Zac told her husband, “I can’t study acting at university.” Richard replied, “Yes, you can!”

Rolling her eyes as she recounts the story, Rebecca mutters, “Thanks, Dad!” She knows all too well the precarious nature of acting. One minute, you’re flavour of the month and, the next, you’re cast aside. But she’s thrilled Zac is pursuing his passion. “He’s tough – that’s what I love about Zac. He has resilience that I didn’t at his age. He’s comfy in his own skin and much more secure than I was. What I’m proudest of is that we’ve been able to raise him to be secure.”