Packed to the Rafters star Rebecca Gibney has shared a candid life update after announcing in April that she was taking a social media break.
The Kiwi-Australian actress, 61, shared a lengthy post on social media on Tuesday evening, revealing she’s been dealing with “some stuff going on,” including her mother Shirley being hospitalised and her pet pooch Lolly struggling with ”health issues”.
It comes after the Halifax f.p. star revealed she was taking a break from social media after copping “backlash” after revealing her her Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis.
Gibney has been on social media since, but this is one of her first in-depth and candid updates.
“I haven’t disappeared – there has just been some ‘stuff’ going on,” she wrote in her post to her more than 248,000 followers.
“Firstly – Mama Shirl is in hospital and has been dealing with a few issues but is doing well – anyone that follows me knows and loves Mum so thought I should share that – please keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she climbs yet another mountain.”
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“I have been spending more time with my biggest bro – which is the BEST… our wee pup Lolly has had a few health issues as well but the drugs are awesome and she’s well on the road to recovery,” she added.
Gibney added a positive message to fans, saying: “The world is a bit nutso and it feels like we’re in a version of The Truman Show sometimes.
“But there are still good good people out there, nature is awesome and if you focus on doing a wee bit of good every day – you’ll feel better.”
Gibney received messages of support underneath the post.
On April 3, the actress announced she was taking a break from social media.
At the time, she said she needed “to reconnect with my hubby, my dogs and myself”.
She also detailed some of the negative comments she’d received as a result of opening up about her health diagnosis.
“Thank you for the overwhelmingly supportive response to my recent post around my ADHD/ASD diagnosis,” she wrote in part.
“Alas there has also been a little backlash so I just wanted to say to the people that responded with ‘ get over it’ , ‘it’s not cancer’ , stop jumping on the bandwagon’ and ‘nobody cares’ – just a wee word of advice.
“If you don’t know the full story of someone’s life – please don’t make assumptions or fire off petty comments.
“I have lived most of my life misdiagnosed with severe anxiety (45 years of it). I was raised in a home with extreme domestic violence and I have suffered depression, so to tell someone to ‘get over it’ is really not helpful.
“I share my story so that it may encourage others who might be struggling to know they are not alone.”
Speaking about her diagnosis to The Weekly, she said: ”It’s been hard. It’s been very emotional.
“I’m still coming to terms with it because it’s answered a lot of questions from my past – my panic attacks, my years of masking, which started obviously at a very early age.”
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