You might know her as Ivy Forrester on The Bold And The Beautiful, the long-running soap opera that has been broadcast around the world for nearly 40 years. That role marked Ashleigh Brewer’s breakout in the US, after she first came to notice working in Australian children’s shows like The Sleepover Club and H20: Just Add Water, before joining the cast of Neighbours at the age of 18.

But as you’ll hear in this episode of the Stellar podcast, at 35, Ash has lived just as many lives as a character on a soap opera. Last December, she got married, and as she reveals for the first time in this interview, she is entering her third trimester as she prepares to welcome her first baby. All this has coincided with a time when Ash has never felt more comfortable in her own body, because as she also explains, she struggled with an eating disorder for several years.

Candid, raw and reflective, Ash also opens up on how she pulled together her low-key, no-fuss wedding day in just nine days, why sobriety was a key part of her recovery, and how how finding support from a strong circle of fellow Aussie expats and actors including Phoebe Tonkin, Samara Weaving and her one-time housemate and Neighbours co-star Margot Robbie helped her to heal.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, visit Butterfly at butterfly.org.au

You can find out more about Ash Brewer on Instagram here.

Watch the full episode with Ash Brewer here.

Something To Talk About is a podcast by Stellar, hosted by Sarrah Le Marquand

Find more from Stellar via Instagram @stellar or stellarmag.com.au

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