CELEBRITY
Rachel Ward Responds to Cruel Criticism About Aging at 68 After Looking Unrecognizable on Instagram
Rachel Ward is refusing to let online criticism dim her confidence.
The former model and actress, 68, recently responded with grace after cruel comments about her appearance surfaced online following a makeup-free Instagram video that she posted in December which has since gone viral.
“Oh my goodness I am in shock.. 😮 did not recognize you until you said your name,” commented one on the post, while another criticized, “Nobody shold look like this.”
“Omg what the hell happened to her,” wrote another. “Wow!! She has aged really, really bad.”
Another delivered a backhanded compliment: “Look, it’s obvious that a skin care regime, staying out of the sun, hair dye and makeup are unimportant to Rachel! She was a beautiful young woman and now she is a wise elder woman! Not everyone has the same desire to remain ‘young’ physically speaking.”
But the star — who first rose to fame as an international model before transitioning into acting and starring opposite Richard Chamberlain in the hit 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds — isn’t letting the negativity define her.
Instagram/rachelwardofficial
In a Saturday, May 23 interview with Australia’s ABC News, Ward reflected on the backlash over her looks and aging naturally after spending decades in the spotlight as one of the world’s most recognizable beauty icons during the 1970s and ’80s.
“I’m so past caring about what people think about one’s appearance or age,” Ward, who is now a regenerative beef farmer, told the outlet. “All I want to hear is, ‘Actually, Rachel’s cows are looking pretty good.'”
She now spends her days without makeup at the 350-hectare farm in Nambucca Valley, Australia, that she owns with her husband of over four decades, Australian actor Bryan Brown, 78.
In spite of the backlash, many Ward fans flooded her comments with praise for her honesty and authenticity online.
“Well done Rachel! Being your most authentic self and living life on your terms. We should all aspire to live life like this,” wrote another fan.
