Rachel Friend

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Rachel Friend
Born (1970-01-08) 8 January 1970 (age 55)
Australia
Occupation(s)Actress, journalist, communications consultant
Years active1985–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1993⁠–⁠1994)​

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(m. 2000⁠–⁠2013)​
Children2

Rachel Amanda Friend (born 8 January 1970) is an Australian actress and journalist.

Contents

Early life

Friend completed her HSC at Sacré Cœur School, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and deferred a commerce course at University of Melbourne.

Career

Friend began her screen career with roles in Zoo Family , Prime Time and The Bartons . She also starred in the 1986 family adventure film Frog Dreaming . [1]

Friend joined the cast of the soap opera Neighbours in 1988, when she was eighteen. [2] Friend chose to postpone her university degree to join the show as Bronwyn Davies. [2] Friend quit Neighbours in 1990. [3] That same year saw her win the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress. [4] [5]

After leaving Neighbours, Friend starred as Annette in the telemovie Mission Top Secret , alongside Beth Buchanan. [6] Other roles include Golden Fiddles (1991), and a brief appearance in Round The Twist as a mermaid.

Friend then moved into TV journalism. [7] In 1991, she became a reporter for Midday with Ray Martin . [8] She was a reporter for A Current Affair for seven years, until her departure in 2001. [7] Friend co-hosted the Seven Network show Saturday Kitchen with her husband Stuart MacGill. [9]

In 2003, Friend established her own PR agency, Media Friendly. [10] In July 2007, she produced and presented the Seven Network parenting show, Mums and Bubs. In 2009, Friend began hosting a television show on the Seven Network called New Idea TV alongside Barbara Northwood, Tom Williams and a variety of other presenters. [ citation needed ]

Personal life

In 1993, Friend married Australian actor-singer Craig McLachlan whom she had met on the set of Neighbours. [11] They divorced the following year. [11] McLachlan's hit song "Amanda" was about Friend, which is her middle name.

Friend married Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill in Melbourne in October 2000, [7] after meeting in 1999 when she interviewed him for A Current Affair. [12] They have two children together – a son born in 2003 and a daughter born in 2006. The pair separated and subsequently divorced in 2013. [10]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985 Zoo Family Susie's friendEpisode: "The Good, The Bad and Martin"
1986 Frog Dreaming Wendyaka The Quest (US) and The Go Kids (UK)
Prime Time
1988 The Bartons MirandaEpisode: "Bartons on the Beach"
1988–1990 Neighbours Bronwyn Davies Series regular
Round The Twist Mermaid
1991 Golden Fiddles Kitty BalfourMiniseries
Midday Reporter
1992 Mission Top Secret AnnetteTV movie / pilot
1993 London Tonight Reporter
1996Wild LifePresenterAlso writer
1999 A Current Affair Reporter
Saturday KitchenCo-host (with husband Stuart MacGill)
2001 A Current Affair ReporterEpisode: "Vaccination: A Stab in the Dark?"
2005Under the GrandstandGuestEpisode: #1.4
2007Mums and BubsPresenterAlso producer
2009 New Idea TV Host
2018The Go Kids: Looking Back on Frog Dreaming SelfTV special (short)

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryWorkResultRef
1989 Logie Awards Most Popular New Talent NeighboursNominated [13]
1990 Most Popular Actress Won

References

  1. ↑ Devlyn, Darren (2 July 1988). "A Friend & neighbor". TV Week . p. 25.
  2. 1 2 "Your New Neighbour". The Sun-Herald . Fairfax Media. 25 June 1988. p. 51. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  3. ↑ Idato, Michael (14 March 2005). "Role of honour". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  4. ↑ "1990 TV Week Logie Awards". TV Week . tvweek.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  5. ↑ Lewis, Rachel (9 October 2019). "The Cast of Neighbours: Where Are They Now?". Pens & Patron. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  6. ↑ Brown, David (5 May 1990). "Rachel goes rustic!". TV Week . pp. 4–5.
  7. 1 2 3 Holder, Peter; Casamento, Jo (7 February 2001). "Sydney Confidential" . The Daily Telegraph . p. 28. Retrieved 15 September 2025– via Gale.
  8. ↑ Cooney, Jenny (27 April 1991). "Rachel faces up to life on the road... It's a jungle out there!". TV Week . p. 2.
  9. ↑ Schwartz, Larry (6 December 2007). "Wined, dined, bowled over by MacGill". The Age . Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  10. 1 2 Domjen, Briana (30 August 2014). "MacGill and Friend pull up stumps". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  11. 1 2 Sharp, Annette (15 October 2000). "The Diary". The Sun-Herald . Fairfax Media. p. 26. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  12. ↑ "Rachel Friend confirms a split from former cricketer Stuart MacGill". 31 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Logies '89 Nominations". TV Week . 18 March 1989. p. 13.
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