She exudes confidence in the characters she portrays but, behind the facade, actress Rebecca Gibney admits she’s long battled debilitating panic attacks that have threatened to derail her career.
The New Zealand-born star cited her chronic people-pleasing tendencies and a “not-normal” brain with what she calls the darkest chapter in her life. Rebecca’s stint on Dancing With The Stars, which came to a highly emotional end on Sunday with her shock elimination, also took more of a mental toll on her than she anticipated, stirring up feelings of insecurity that have haunted her for decades.
“I’ve got too many drop-down tabs going in my head,” she told The Daily Telegraph. “I can hyper focus on one thing and then I get panicked because I’ve let the other thing slide.
“I suffered from panic attacks from the age of 14 until well into my 30s. If I could change one thing, I wish my brain was a bit more normal.”
Taking to the dance floor to be judged each week was confronting to say the least.
“It was absolute sheer terror,” she said. “I had moments where I resorted back to a 12-year-old being judged… it was really bizarre. You feel like you’ve let yourself down. You’ve let everyone else down.”
Along with husband of 23 years Richard Bell, Rebecca’s biggest cheerleader, her son Zac, was by her side every step of the way.
“We had four to five hours of training a day and I was in pain the whole time,” the 60-year-old tells Woman’s Day from her home in Marlborough, on New Zealand’s South Island. “There were days when I thought I couldn’t do it and there were a lot of tears. But we also laughed from start to finish and, by the end, I was almost back to being able to do the splits again.”
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE SON
When Zac declared that he wanted to be an actor, Rebecca had her reservations. Having been in the business herself for more than 40 years, she knows it isn’t an easy path to follow.
“I think it’s a lot harder now than when I started out,” she says. “There’s not a lot of work around with lots of people wanting to do it.
“That’s why I was concerned when Zac decided he wanted to be an actor. It can be a tough job because you have to spend time out of work, and the rejection is painful, too.”
Even as a child, Zac was a performer, always happy to grab a microphone and jump on stage or getting his parents to film him making nature documentaries. He began studying at Wellington drama school Toi Whakaari at 17.
“I was still a baby really and had to grow up quickly,” recalls Zac, now 21. “There were some tricky times but then I found my footing and really loved it.’
DRAMA COACH BEC!
With drama school completed, Zac is living at home again, trying to get his career off the ground, with some help from his mum.
“We’ve set up a little studio in the shed and we’ve been doing his audition tapes,” says Rebecca, who admits she’s a demanding coach. “I’m like, ‘Do it again, do it like this.’ I can be quite tough on him because I know what he’s capable of, so I’m always pushing for more.”
Zac has already appeared in an episode of Under The Vines and the series Wanted, both starring his famous mum, but is very much determined to make it on his own merits.
“It’s not so much that I’m stepping into Mum’s shoes, but I want to make her proud and carve out a lane for myself,” he says. “I’m extremely lucky to have the mum I have and I always acknowledge the benefits, but I want to work hard and not take advantage of that.”
The fact he’s called Zac Bell rather than Gibney means people don’t necessarily make the connection during auditions.
“He’s going to have to make his own way and I think that’s good because he can’t be accused of the ‘nepo baby’ thing if no one knows who he is,” says Rebecca. “There have already been some auditions Zac has gone for that he hasn’t got. He doesn’t talk about it much, but I know it’s disappointing.”
FLYING THE NEST
As much as she loves having Zac home, Rebecca’s aware he’ll need to fly the nest again and his next move will likely be to Sydney, where there’s more opportunity.
He admits to finding the prospect daunting. “I know I’ll get a bit homesick when I first leave but it makes sense for me to be there instead of out here in the middle of nowhere, so I just want to go, do some theatre and make connections.”
Zac and his mum have always had a close bond. In his speech when she was honoured at last year’s Logies, Zac said that while many people love Rebecca Gibney the actor, to him she is “the kindest, most loving mum anyone could ask for”.
“When I get invited to places like the Logies, it really brings home to me how important Mum is to a lot of people,” says Zac. “And I’m always meeting people that she’s worked with who say she’s like their own mum on set because she looks after them so well. I’ve got these little adopted siblings all over the place.”
BUSY YEAR AHEAD
Rebecca’s latest New Zealand TV production is something different for the star. In the musical comedy Happiness – coming soon to Aussie screens – she’s a stage mum involved in an amateur theatre production.
“It’s such an incredible show,” says Rebecca. “I knew from the very beginning that we were making something special, and I haven’t felt that way about a show since I read the first episode of Packed To The Rafters.”
She also has an Aussie crime drama in development and is currently appearing in her first Sydney Theatre Company play.
Throughout her long career, Rebecca’s worked consistently, starring in a host of much-loved TV shows. So what’s the secret to her success?
“I show up on time, I’m not a diva, I’m easy to work with, I always know my lines, I treat people very respectfully, regardless of who they are, and I work really hard – I think that’s had a lot to do with it,” she says.
With her mum turning 90 and Zac’s 21st to celebrate, Rebecca has also had plenty of fun in 2025 so far. A big, noisy Gibney family reunion was held for her mum’s birthday, with five generations gathering in Brisbane. Rather than a party, Zac’s milestone is being marked with a family holiday in the Maldives.
While her career takes her to interesting places, Rebecca’s always happy to return home. Not that country life is ever quiet in the Gibney-Bell household.
“We’re a creative family so at the moment we’re talking about making a short film,” says Rebecca. “We’re encouraging Zac with his writing – he’s in the middle of writing two plays. It’s ridiculously idyllic here. None of us wants to leave.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
