Kate Ritchie became an immediate fan favourite when she debuted as Sally Fletcher on the beloved Australian soap opera Home and Away at the age of eight.
Despite all of her adventures in Summer Bay, 45-year-old Sally acknowledges that her daughter Mae Katherine Webb is her greatest accomplishment in life.
In August 2014, Kate gave birth to her daughter Mae with her estranged husband Stuart Webb. Shortly after the birth, Kate opened up to The Australian Women’s Weekly about how much she enjoyed being a mother.
I love being with her, so my main concern is that I’ll turn into a total hermit and never leave the house. She added at the time, “I want to talk to her and spend every minute with her.”
In a candid interview with Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies of The Morning Show in 2015, Kate expressed her growing affection for Mae, saying, “I think she’s divine, she’s the greatest achievement I’ve ever had and she’s wonderful.”
Kate wrote an emotional open letter to Mae in 2018, expressing her love for her and opening up about how having her daughter transformed her life.
“I believed that Home and Away was the love of my life. Then I got to know this amazing person,” Kate wrote.
“It has been a long journey, but I am incredibly proud and happy that I allowed myself to realise that my greatest accomplishments in life weren’t solely due to Sally Fletcher.”
Mae has actually taught Kate things she never even expected to know, including how her child is affected by the way she feels about her body.
Youngsters truly very perceptive and notice everything you do. The fact that we should be gentler to ourselves has been a really beneficial learning curve. I think it’s teaching me to appreciate myself a little bit more because I find myself restricting what I would typically say about what I’m wearing or how I feel about my body every day,” she said to Good Health in 2018.
The mother-daughter pair looked amazing at Taylor Swift’s Sydney concert!
“LET’S GO! 🩷🅷🅷🐍📿♥️🖤🌈,” she posted on Instagram.
According to Richie, Mae “holds the most full, happy place” in her heart.
Give the camera a smile! After Mae’s dance recital, Kate took a joyful photo of her with a buddy.
eerie season! For Halloween 2022, the mother and daughter looked stunning in their costumes.
Following Mae’s achievement of winning a second place ribbon in her school’s 2022 Athletics Carnival, Kate looked like a very proud mother.
“I’ve never been prouder. Above all, since she promised to simply “do her best.” ❤️❤️❤️ #firstonesincecovid #familytime #athleticscarnival,” she said in her post.
On her 44th birthday, Kate sipped tea and cuddled up in bed with Mae.
“Happy birthday, not. I’m just having a good day. It just so happens that I was born on that day. Since this is the case,” she wrote.
Mae, seven, and Kate are the closest of friends.
“To this tiny earth angel, good night. Kate wrote, “I’m honoured you choose me to be your mother,” as the caption for this photo of Mae having fun outside.
Beach babies!
“She has no idea how much of a style icon she is to me.”
