Rebecca Gibney reveals: 'I finally feel beautiful'

The TV favourite opens up about a deeply personal battle which once saw her plunge into despair.

Whenever friends phoned to inquire what she was up to, the consummate performer found herself doing what she could do best – acting through the pain. And certainly no-one would have been aware Rebecca could head out the front door, her perfect “mask” firmly in place, only after taking a Valium pill.

Some 15 years later, the happily married mother-of-one has revealed to Mindfood magazine she is now in a very different head space. At 46, having tackled her private demons and memories of a profoundly traumatic childhood, the Packed To The Rafters favourite has found a new level of contentment – an emotional equilibrium she once never thought possible.

Although Rebecca does still suffer from the occasional panic attack, she knows what to do when they strike. As for the bouts of depression, they appear to be well and truly in her past. Through it all, the beautiful blonde has learned not to take anything in life for granted.

“When you’re in a black hole, when you’ve been in the pit, you don’t want to go back there. And I’m so glad that rage is gone… that intense rage,” Rebecca reveals during a stunning photo shoot for this month’s issue of Mindfood.