Three-time Gold Logie nominee Jessica Marais has been spotted out and about for the first time in months.
The 37-year-old Australian actress, who has been absent from screens since 2017, was photographed working at Gordons Cafe in Sydney’s eastern suburbs this week.
The cafe is just a short walk from Marais’ home in Clovelly.
Marais looked happy and healthy in the photos, with the star seen cheerily chatting to customers.
The sighting comes after a difficult few years for the mother-of-one, who stepped back from acting in 2018 citing mental health struggles.
She was nominated for the Gold Logie that year but pulled out of attending the ceremony just days beforehand.
The Sunday Telegraph reported at the time that Marais was admitted to The Sydney Clinic in Bronte two weeks before the awards, with sources telling the newspaper it was for “a number of health issues.”
In early 2020, Marais was slated to begin filming the Packed to the Rafters reboot – Back to the Rafters – but she abruptly quit the production in February citing “personal reasons”.
“Jessica Marais has decided to step away from the new series Back to the Rafters for personal reasons,” a statement from her management read.
“She thanks everyone involved on the show for their ongoing support and love, especially her ‘Rafter’s family’, and sends them her very best wishes for the production.”
A few months later, in May of that year, Marais suffered further health issues when paramedics attended her home following reports she was in poor health.
Multiple people reportedly witnessed the incident, with one describing Marais as appearing “clearly distressed”.
Marais first spoke publicly about her mental health issues in a 2014 interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly, revealing bipolar episodes have been a part of her life since she was 12.
“There’s a history of bipolar in my family and I was diagnosed at one point with bipolar. I’ve had cognitive therapy training, so I choose not to be medicated,” she said at the time.
“There’s probably one day a month when I am an absolute mess.”
Marais was famously engaged to her Rafters co-star James Stewart in 2009, but they split in 2015.
They share a daughter together, Scout, who was born in May 2012.
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Marais, a NIDA graduate, is one of Australia’s most popular actresses.
She has been nominated for 14 Logies in her career, winning 7.
She shot to fame playing Rachel Rafter on Rafters in 2008, before going on to star in several TV shows including Magic City, Love Child and The Wrong Girl.
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