Jessica Napier & Rachael Carpani WE'D DO Mc LEOD'S AGAIN IN A FLASH!

THIS DUO ARE READY TO JUMP BACK IN THE SADDLE

- Leigh Credlin

There are some people in life you can go years without seeing and when you do finally reconnect, it's like no time has passed at all. And that's certainly the case when New Idea reunites Jessica Napier and Rachael Carpani for a special McLeod's Daughters celebration.

It's been more than 10 years since Jess, 44, and Rachael, 43, last saw each other - although they can't agree where they were. Rachael reckons it was here in Sydney, while Jess feels it was over in Los Angeles.

"What I do know is it was before I had kids, and my eldest is 12 now. So, yeah, it's been a hot minute," mum-of-two Jess tells us.

Within seconds of arriving at our shoot location, the pair have embraced each other in a warm hug. Before long, stories from their time playing Becky Howard and Jodi Fountain-McLeod start to flow - from being flatmates and unwinding with a cocktail after 17-hour work days to Aaron Jeffrey trying on Rachael's hat and mocking her "large" head!

"We both have the middle name Ann, so we were called 'Jan' and 'Rac' due to our initials," Rachael recalls.

With a laugh she adds that Jess' nickname was a tiny bit nicer, as "who wants to be known as 'Rac'?!" The pair are shocked that this January marks 15 years since McLeod's ended, which is the reason for our trip down memory lane. Both actresses had long left the show by then, but Rachael did return for the finale alongside Sonia Todd, who played her mum Meg.