'He left his wife for me... then I fell pregnant' with Natalie Bassingthwaighte

Hello! Today, we're joined by Australian icon Natalie Bassingthwaighte. Nat is a singer, actor, and television personality who rose to fame in 2003 with her role on Neighbours as Izzy Hoyland. Nat’s resume is extensive - with features in theatre shows like Grease, Footloose, Chicago, and more recently, Waitress. In 2004, she was recruited as the lead singer of the electro-pop band, The Rogue Traders, and has released a solo album, too.  In this conversation, Nat speaks about the early closing of Waitress and shares what she believes needs to change to keep Australia’s theatre industry alive. She also opens up about the affair she had in her 20’s that led to a tumultuous relationship and has had a lasting impact on her mental health. Most candidly, Nat speaks about her journey with sexuality, and why, at 50, she has never felt more certain of herself.  If you’d like to support Nat, you can purchase her memoir, Love Like This, at any good bookstore.  For support on the themes of pregnancy loss covered in this episode, please take care and contact Red Nose 1300 308 307, or head here. Thank you so much to Deakin University for supporting this episode of Inherited. Research by Deakin University and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute shows the relationships we have at 13 shape the relationships we have at 30. You can learn more about the research at deakin.edu.au/research.  Your host today was Ruby Hall (⁠@rubytuesday2.0⁠), and the guest was Natalie Bassingthwaighte (@natbassingthwaighte). Inherited is produced by Monica Vantilburg and executive-produced by Lucy Hunt. If you enjoyed this episode, click ‘follow’ on your favourite podcast app! We’re also on⁠ Instagram⁠ and⁠ TikTok⁠ @inheritedthepod. We’ll be back with another episode on Tuesday! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices