Beloved actress Rebecca Gibney has shared a candid life update on Instagram just months after announcing she was taking a break from social media.
The Kiwi-Australian actress made a surprise return to the platform overnight to reveal she has “some ‘stuff’ going on” in her personal life, namely with her mother Shirley being hospitalised and her beloved dog Lolly experiencing “health issues”.
Although Gibney, 61, has shared small updates here and there since going on a self-imposed social hiatus on April 3, her post on Tuesday night was her most detailed since going offline.
“Hello friends, just a wee update. I haven’t disappeared – there has just been some ‘stuff’ going on,” she began on Instagram in the lengthy post.
“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.”
The Packed to the Rafters star said she had “been spending way more time in the garden” and “less on SM [social media]” in recent weeks, which she “highly recommend[s]”. And when she’s not spending quality time with her big brother or her husband, Richard Bell, the star is helping to nurse their dog back to health.
“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 revealed.
Gibney concluded her update with some food for thought for her 248,000 followers.
“The world is a bit nutso and it feels like we’re in a version of The Truman Show sometimes,” she wrote. “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. Even if it’s pulling some weeds away from a tiny native tree.”
It was back in early April that the Logie winner decided to take a step back from social media after copping “backlash” for revealing her Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis.
In an Instagram post at the time, the Halifax F.P. star said she was going offline to “reconnect with my hubby, my dogs and myself”. And the negative comments she had received about opening up about her diagnosis played a factor in her decision to take a break.
“Hello friends, it’s time for a wee break from all things SM,” she wrote in a post at the time.
“Thank you for the overwhelmingly supportive response to my recent post around my ADHD/ASD diagnosis. 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,” she added.
“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.”
Gibney said she was simply sharing her story to “encourage others who might be struggling” with ADHD/ASD and let them know they weren’t alone.
“Everyone is going through ‘stuff’ so please just think before you type,” she pleaded.
Gibney disclosed in March this year that she was diagnosed with both ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder by three psychiatrists.
“It’s been hard. It’s been very emotional,” she told The Australian Women’s Weekly. “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.”
“There’s that slight mourning – gosh, if I’d known this 40, 50 years ago, would I have gone through all the stuff that I went through? Maybe it would have made my high school years easier because, you know, I did have a lot of mental health struggles.”
