No rest for Gold Logie winner Ritchie

[Andy]

No rest for Gold Logie winner Ritchie

By Michael Gadd

AAP, 7 May 2007

© 2007 Australian Associated Press Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Australian TV's golden girl Kate Ritchie spent her first day as a Gold Logie winner hard at work rehearsing for Tuesday night's season premiere of celebrity singing contest, It Takes Two.

After performing on the show last year with country star Troy Cassar-Daley, Ritchie, 28, can't wait to co-host the program with Grant Denyer.

"I'm so pleased to be involved in this show, just to be part of it rather than having the stress of singing and putting myself on the line," she said.

Ritchie described the singing gig as the "scariest" of her career - or at least as confronting as having to go through puberty under the public gaze as Sally Fletcher on Home and Away.

"Okay, it was about as scary as having to share my first bra with the entire country," she said.

In her Gold Logie acceptance speech Ritchie said it was only recently that she had felt comfortable in her dual roles as Sally, the beloved soapie character, and Kate, the woman who has grown up in front of the camera.

Now she performs as a Sydney radio co-host and is looking for other opportunities that won't impinge on her Home and Away duties.

The Gold Logie, and her second consecutive Silver Logie for most popular actress, are a vote of confidence from fans which she doesn't take lightly.

But there hasn't been time for her win to sink in, she added.

"I had a quiet night and after some interviews this morning we got stuck into rehearsals for tomorrow night," she said.

Ritchie will share a proper celebration with her friends and family in Sydney on the weekend.

While she will be impartial as co-host on It Takes Two, Ritchie admitted having a soft spot for her former duet partner Cassar-Daley.

"I've never met anyone like him in my life," she said. "I was so blessed to have him has my partner."