By Jenny Brown
Pictures: David Hahn
The former soap star is over the moon as she prepares to become a first-time mum.
Rebekah Elmaloglou was only 15 when she swapped high school for soapie stardom and international fame. As Home And Away‘s angst-ridden Sophie Simpson she was beaten, abused and ended up becoming an unmarried teenage mum.
Now, at the age of 34, she’s finally expecting a baby in real life — “all my friends and family have beaten me to it” — but the circumstances couldn’t be more different from Sophie’s sudsy woes.
Rebekah is serenely happy with her partner Kane Baker, also 34, a talented singer/songwriter who works as a house painter when he’s not playing drums.
Together, they’re renovating a new home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, excitedly waiting out the pregnancy, and planning a seaside wedding once their baby is born.
Glowing with happiness, a chilled-out Rebekah chats to Woman’s Day about child acting, the stresses of Home And Away, her hopes for the future, her Oscar-winning relative, and why she will never, ever become a pushy stage mother!
You started working professionally when you were only eight?
Yes, my favourite film was The Sound Of Music; I watched it over and over until I bored everyone else in the house to tears. One day Mum came in and asked if I would like to audition for a stage production. We went along to a cattle call of thousands of kids and I was lucky enough to be cast as one of the Von Trapp children. I don’t think Mum expected me to get in! She certainly wasn’t a pushy stage mother, but it started from there. I’ve worked all over the world since then, and three of my brothers followed me into Home And Away.
Why did you leave Home And Away at the age of 18?
I did the show for three and a half years, and it was very stressful. I started having anxiety attacks and getting sick. We worked massively long days and on weekends we did interstate publicity or photo shoots. I remember being on magazine covers almost every week. It was hard on a young person, but it was a great experience. In the end, I left because I wanted to play other characters.
Would you do it all again?
I have no regrets at all, except maybe that I didn’t get my School Certificate. I was top of the class in music and art and drama, but I was never very academically inclined. School didn’t even come into the equation when I was a child. I left when I was 15, because I got the chance to make a film on a Greek island for three months, and that seemed more exciting! I had a lot of opportunities and challenges for someone of that age. If I hadn’t done what I did, I wouldn’t be the person I am now.
For more of this story, see this week’s Woman’s Day (on sale April 21).
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