Nova radio star speaks out on "shameful" paparazzi photos
Nova radio host Kate Ritchie has issued a public statement on Monday morning announcing that she will be taking a break from the Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie program to focus on her mental health.
The announcement comes days after the Daily Mail published invasive paparazzi photos that showed Ritchie appearing distressed while answering a phone call in a park.
In a statement released to Instagram, Ritchie slammed the paparazzi for their "relentless stalking".
“The images of me taken last week show that I wasn’t OK on that day. My struggle is not helped by the relentless stalking of the paparazzi, in fact they are making it much worse,” she wrote.
“Due to their constant harassment, they significantly add pressure and make my recovery that much more difficult.”
"To those profiting from invading my privacy, a simple question - would you treat your sister, mother or daughter the same, if they had similar challenges?” she continued.
She admitted that her mental health issues were “deeply personal” and had “proven to be a bigger challenge than I imagined".
Ritchie did not disclose how long her break from the show will be, but thanked listeners for their support.
The Daily Mail received backlash for their story about Ritchie with paparazzi photos and video showing her crying while on the phone.
The publication posted the video on to their social media, with many slamming the footage for intruding on her privacy.
“The Daily Mail’s video of Kate Ritchie is f**ked. You don’t post that,” one person wrote.
“What a horrible intrusion on her privacy when she is obviously going through a tough time. Have a heart and back off,” another commented.
“She is clearly going through something and struggling. Instead of calling authorities or asking her if she needed help or was OK, they recorded her. horrible,” another person wrote.
Images: Instagram