Natalie Bassingthwaighte first shot to fame when she joined Neighbours in 2003, playing Erinsborough’s lovable schemer Izzy Hoyland.
TV-wise, “Nat Bass” – as she’s affectionately known by Aussies – has done it all, from flaunting her dramatic chops on Underbelly to mentoring up-and-comers on The X Factor and braving the jungle on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!. So it’s little wonder her latest gig is another 180.
Together with her older sister Melinda Sheldrick, Nat’s going head-to-head with other famous Aussies on The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition.
“I’m always up for a challenge,” Nat, 49, tells TV WEEK. “I love The Amazing Race. It’s a really positive show – friends and family having a good time, making money for their charities, but also [you] really push yourself.”
Nat’s sister Mel is an Amazing Race superfan who convinced Nat to do the show. But the sisters learned that watching The Amazing Race from the comfort of your couch is one thing, and actually filming it is next level.
The series takes the 11 teams on a gruelling race across some of the world’s harshest environments, from Argentina to South Africa, Namibia and Thailand. “It looks really hard watching, but it’s much harder in real life,” Nat reveals.
“You don’t even see the hardest parts. You’re carrying a 20kg backpack on your back, racing through the day and you get to bed that night and you are completely wrecked. Your adrenaline is so high – it’s the wildest ride ever.”
Nat had a few motivating factors, like the support of her kids, Harper, 13, and Hendrix, 11, who she co-parents with ex-husband Cam McGlinchey.
The pair announced their separation in 2022 after 12 years of marriage, and Nat went public with her new love, Pip Loth, late last year.
The actor and Rogue Traders singer gushes about her partner, a stage manager who worked on the musical Jagged Little Pill with Nat in 2021.
“They are the kindest, sweetest, generous gentlest [person] that I’ve ever met,” Nat says of Pip. “It’s very special.”
Though her split from Cam was a lot to navigate, Nat says she’s proud of the way they’ve handled the changes.
“I think with kids it’s just saying: ‘Life isn’t perfect. We’re going to make mistakes, we’re going to fall over and we’re going to have to pick ourselves up,’” Nat reflects.
“I hope that the kids have seen how Cam and I and Pip have handled this difficult situation with as much grace and integrity as we possibly could. There’s a lot of love and respect in that space for us now. We’re all very grateful for that.”
Nat’s other driving force was her Amazing Race charity of choice, The Black Dog Institute. Diagnosed with depression in her early 20s it’s a cause close to her heart.
“They’re very helpful to people who struggle with mental health or have someone in their family that struggles with mental health,” Nat explains. “Having had a friend that passed away from suicide, it was really important to my sister and I [to support Black Dog].”
Nat says she manages her own mental health by constantly checking in with herself. “I’m in such a great place. But it doesn’t mean I don’t get down sometimes or feel overwhelmed,” she says.
“But I keep soul searching, and I still have my regular therapy. But at the end of the day, I think being comfortable in your own skin changes a lot. And I definitely feel that.”
THE AMAZING RACE AUSTRALIA: CELEBRITY EDITION
Season premiere, Monday, September 9, 7.30pm, 10, REALITY
