If you owned a television back in the nineties (read: all of us), you would be familiar with actress-slash-singer-slash-TV-host Toni Pearen.
(She was best known for multitasking between writing and releasing a bunch of super-catchy tracks, as well as starring on soap operas E Street and Home And Away and hosting Australia’s Funniest Home Videos…)
Toni hanging out with then-Kate Fischer (now Tziporah Malkah) at a David Jones fashion show back in 2006.
However, whether you were a fan of Toni’s Home And Away character, Beth Armstrong, you will have sorely missed the now-45-year-old, who took an open-ended hiatus from the silver screen for what she says has been “an interesting journey” into motherhood.
Opening up being the proud mum to seven-year-old Lucky and Ever, 4, Toni explains to Kidspot that going from being in the spotlight to a full-time parent certainly came as a shock.
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“When I first had Lucky, we [Toni and her partner, Will Osmond] decided staying home is what I would do, and it was difficult for me to take a step back and hand over that control in many ways – financially and everything,” she says.
“Never in a million years before I had kids did I think I could step away from my career, but I’m really proud that I did it.”
Toni rubbing shoulders with Home And Away alum Melissa George and Kate Ritchie in 2005.
Refreshingly, taking a step back from her time in front of the camera to focus on her family has given Toni the kind of wisdom all mums should reflect upon when the challenge of balancing life, love and bringing up healthy, happy children weighs heavy on your shoulders.
“I think the one thing mums need to hear is that this drive for perfectionism – it doesn’t exist,” Toni asserts. “It just makes you miserable!”
“Will and I discuss quite regularly that there’s no such thing as the perfect job or even the perfect balance between family and work – we’ll just have to work it out!”
Preach, Toni. Preach.
Toni can’t get enough of life with her little girl, Ever!
