Back home for his daughter’s sacred day, he’s barely noticed being dumped by Rhonda.
In a perfectly pristine Balinese compound in Denpasar, a priestess dressed in white sits atop a mountain of offerings, ringing a tiny bell and chanting. Kadek Mahardika, aka Ketut from the AAMI TV ads, is about to have his baby daughter officially blessed.
Unlike the latest incarnation of his alter-ego, 28-year-old Kadek is anything but broken-hearted – he’s gone home to a hero’s welcome with fiance Laura Jack and six-month-old Mila.
Kadek’s role has given him star status both here and in Bali, where he has become a cult figure. He is recognised wherever he goes, with starstruck locals tuning in to his commercials on YouTube – and the streets are lined with T-shirts bearing cheeky slogans about Rhonda and Ketut. “Thank God for YouTube”, Kadek laughs.
Revelling in the attention and the feeling of being back home, Kadek is on a natural high. “I am so excited to introduce my Australian family to my culture,” the former Kuta lifeguard says.
Read more about Ketut’s beautiful baby in this week’s issue of Woman’s Day, on sale Monday, October 28, 2013.
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