AFTER a six-year hiatus, supermodel Gemma Ward is back on the catwalk.
Tonight the glam 27-year-old will open Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia at the Ellery show.
She was one of the world’s biggest models with her trademark doe eyes when, aged just 20, she gave up modelling shortly after the death of her close friend Heath Ledger.
At the time, Ward was the most in-demand model on the scene, commanding $25,000 a show with 24 Vogue covers across the globe, but she suddenly retreated from the industry after falling into a deep depression.
“If you feel trapped, you don’t realise you can do something about it. I went through depression. I had to slow down, take a step back and look at my life,” she says.
Leaving the fashion industry at the height of her career was a risky move and while she appreciated the success she’d had, she says she just needed to be alone.
“I chose to do that and the consequences were on me. I was willing to do it because I wanted a break. I didn’t think it was going to be so long.
“Since then I’ve lost other people in my life and it’s a tragedy but it’s a part of life,” she says.
After Ledger’s death in January of 2008, Ward says she opened up to her parents about how tough things were and they encouraged her to explore new horizons and seek professional help.
“They had great advice and encouraged me to talk to different people and to know that it is not shameful. That was a huge thing as well.”
Ward says it’s vital people suffering from depression find professional help. “I think it is incredibly important to talk about it and to seek help and understand it is not forever.”
She says although it’s hard to believe when going through it, you will survive.
“It changes — life changes and you can be in a completely different place weeks or months later. You will get there eventually and even if it’s a struggle for a while, you have to have faith,” she explains.
Part of the catharsis included travelling with her model partner David Letts to Nepal, India, Asia and Europe. She also discovered theatre and film and was cast in several roles including Black Balloon, The Ugly One, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides alongside Johnny Depp and The Great Gatsby.
“It was a personal moment in my life where I needed to stop and explore things that I knew I wanted to do with my life. I was exploring acting roles, music, writing and theatre work,” Ward says.
But it was the birth of her daughter Naia a year ago that really helped Ward focus and she says this new energy led her back to work.
Last September she made her comeback in Milan, opening the Prada show. Since then she has signed with Country Road for its 40th anniversary and become the ambassador for Coca-Cola Life.
“It has been fun to show Naia new places as we travel around for work. It is amazing because you don’t know how much having a baby is going to change you but it gave me focus and direction. I know what is right and she is a priority — it played a part in coming back to work,” she says.
Perth-born Ward is now based in Sydney and between jobs says she channels her inner hippie, digging daily in her vegetable patch. She proudly says her pumpkin seeds have sprouted so she is now busy making vegetable soups from scratch.
“I’m really enjoying Sydney right now. I have a vegetable patch and make almond milk and miso soups. I have also been growing a lot of kale — it was growing like mad but apparently you shouldn’t boast about that because it’s really easy to grow,” she said.
Her relationship with Letts is also a priority. When not doting over their daughter, the pair organise date nights, which is usually a simple trip to the beach with takeaway pasta.
Like most working mums she works around the clock juggling commitments, and was even a few minutes late to our interview because she was expressing her daughter’s night feed.
“We live in a very creative space. I grew up in a family where we could express emotions and share and collaborate and it’s the same now. When friends come over we usually get instruments out,” she says.
Ward’s latest personal project is her website, Gemmas.com, which will be launched later this month. The site will sell her favourite Australian and international brands.
