Rachel Ward shared a message for trolls who criticized her appearance at age 68, telling naysayers that growing older is powerful — and she’s proof.
The Thorn Birds actress, known for her portrayal of Meghan “Meggie” Cleary in the 1983 miniseries, highlighted that her age is a badge of greatness after a “few fearful trolls went on the attack of my rather unkempt appearance before Christmas.”
In a video posted via Instagram on Thursday, January 15, Ward noted how she has left behind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and is enjoying her life as a farmer now, “but really should do my hair and apply some lippy before I go on social media.”
“Dear those of you who responded to the brouhaha over the trolls criticizing my appearance, I have tried to do a little better today. I ran my hands through my hair, etc. but anyways, just to say, do not fear aging,” she said in the clip, raving over her sixties being a “wonderful period of life.”
Rachel Ward. Courtesy of Rachel Ward/Instagram
“I am more fulfilled than ever and I have no regrets, leaving my youth and beauty behind,” she continued. “I’m not youthful, but I am a very happy camper.”
Ward, who looks over a 350-head beef cattle farm with husband Bryan Brown in Australia’s Nambucca Valley, highlighted that youth is fleeting, and there are countless blessings that come with age, including wisdom on what is most important in life. (The couple celebrated 40 years of marriage in 2023. Brown and Ward wed in April 1983 and now share kids Rosie, Matilda and Joe.)
“Later years are to be exalted and welcomed. You wait until you get there,” the actress shared with her social media followers. “They have so many other gifts to bestow that you have no idea what they are until you get there.”
She went on to thank fans who rushed to her defense. “Don’t worry about me. I do recognize that we’re all a little bit worried about losing our youth and resorting to rather drastic ways of holding on to it, but let it go,” Ward said.
Rachel Ward. Warner Bros. Television/Courtesy Everett Collection
In her Instagram caption, the former Vogue model quipped that she “would crawl under a rock but [is] very keen to promote my new initiative,” referring to FARMTHRU, which is testing an innovative way to buy regenerative food and groceries that is better “for your family and the planet.”
“Check it out and support farmers who balance both land, animals and your health,” she concluded in her caption. “Wait until you taste the difference. Bulk buy prices.”
Ward’s husband previously dished about the secret to his long-lasting marriage, telling The Mirror, “The main thing is to say yes to your wife all the time, and if anything goes wrong say, ‘It’s my fault.’ If men understood that, they’d be happier.”
The lovebirds crossed paths in 1983 when they were cast as husband and wife in The Thorn Birds. He even gave her a palm reading on set and accurately predicted she would have three children. Brown pointed out, “Yes, I did say that, but I didn’t say they would be mine!”
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