In 2002, Australian actress, Madeleine West was standing on the sidewalk in Sydney’s Oxford street one rainy evening. Then she was hit by a bus. The impact caused a brain haemorrhage and fractured her skull.
“I was thrown quite a distance, landed on my face and skidded along the ground,” West said in an interview with The Weekly Review.
At the time of the incident, West was playing much-loved character, Dee Bliss on Australian soap classic, Neighbours.
Dee’s former flame, Toadfish ‘Toadie’ Rebecchi is now in a wheelchair. Post continues after video…
“Apart from breaking a bunch of teeth and blowing out all the blood vessels in my eyes, I had a massive scab and big scar. When the doctors let me see myself in the mirror for the first time, my immediate thought was, ‘My acting career is over’ and I was ready to chuck it.”
West, now 38, says the accident put her character’s role in the show on hold.
“It was two sex workers who found me and helped me and put tissue paper to my head until the ambulance arrived, and then they disappeared into the night,” West told The Weekly Review.
“I did some interviews following my recovery and put it out that I’d really like to thank these women but no one ever came forward.”
West staged a comeback in 2008 with a leading role as Tony Mokbel’s girlfriend Danielle McGuire in Underbelly.
“I got what I like to think were my first acting plaudits. People were able to appreciate that I was capable of more than playing the blonde nymphet with a big smile who’s wearing a bikini for no particular reason,” West told The Weekly Review.
Since Underbelly, West has been busy popping out some humans. Six humans in fact. In eight years. Yep, you read that correctly, West has six children under eight years old, a subject she recently used for her new book.
“Every morning I set the alarm 15 minutes early so I have 15 minutes of quiet time to focus and write my list of goals for the day,” West tells The Weekly Review of how she manages her chaotic world.
“When you enter parenthood, you can be surprised at what you are capable of.”
Top Comments
I just saw this article. Two very big factual omissions by Ms West however. She was not standing on the sidewalk as she claims. She stepped off the sidewalk directly in the path of a bus travelling in the kerb lane. Lucky she wasn't killed. She was attended to by two elderly ladies, not "sex workers". I know this because I was part of the inquiry. She tried to sue the bus driver but once the facts were established her claim was rejected and she withdrew it.
Six kids under eight? Has she figured out what is causing it?
Maybe she almost died and at that moment realised that family is more important to her than anything.
her last pregnancy was twins which is something you cant plan...I think its wonderful, people like her (she's smart and can afford it) should be having large families if they can.
She needs a new hobby haha.