Kate Ritchie breaks down in tears backstage at annual radio awards

KATE Ritchie was in tears backstage after winning a solo award at the Australian Commercial Radio Awards in Melbourne on Saturday night.

Ritchie beat out Carrie Bickmore, Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald and her co-host Tim Blackwell to win the ACRA for Best Entertainment Presenter.

Ritchie, who joined Nova’s Kate, Tim and Marty drive show in 2014, was visibly emotional as she spoke to news.com.au just moments after winning the award.

“It does mean a lot because it’s been a period of reshaping my career in some ways,” she said.

Ritchie has previously spoken about feeling like an outsider in the radio industry because she spent so many years working as an actor, but now she feels accepted.

“I suppose in some ways I’ve always felt like a visitor here in this world, but the more things that continue to happen with Kate, Tim and Marty, where we continue to go from strength to strength … there are all these signs that universe is telling me maybe I’m not just visiting.”

Ritchie joked after her win that things might be a tad awkward between her and Tim Blackwell whom she beat out for the ACRA.

“I didn’t really want to win because I’m not sure I can handle the sulking on Monday,” she laughed, before paying tribute to her co-hosts.

“I think any award, especially one like this and I truly mean this, is a shared award. I’m only the ‘entertainment presenter’ that I am because I’ve come into a team with Tim and Marty. I hate to say that because they’ll read this and think they’re the greatest of all time but it’s absolutely true.

“Years ago working on Home and Away … it was Ray Meagher who instilled in me that no one person is ever bigger than the show itself. Despite me having the trophy tonight, the award is actually for Tim and Marty … I do genuinely mean that.”

It’s clear Ritchie has a lot of affection for her co-hosts despite the fact they often make her the butt of their jokes on the Nova drive show, but she’s adamant she never takes their jibes to heart.

“No, of course I don’t,” she told news.com.au. There’s an element of that old part of me that still longs to act being put into play every day. But I think it’s a far truer version of myself that I have ever had to be.

“I’m the eldest of four kids, so people piling rubbish on me was part of my youth. It’s made me who I am, so maybe I was destined for this job after my upbringing.”

And there’s some good news for Kate, Tim and Marty fans with Ritchie confirming the trio will be back on air together in 2019.

“Why would I give up this job, it’s actually a gift,” she said.

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