EXCLUSIVE: Rebecca Gibney’s weight loss revelation ahead of her Back To The Rafters return

It’s been eight years since we said goodbye to the Rafter family, but now the much-loved gang are returning home once again in the Amazon Prime reboot, Back To The Rafters, and its main star, Rebecca Gibney, couldn’t be happier.

“It was so wonderful to see everyone again.

“I have missed not only all of the actors but the characters as well,” Rebecca, 56, tells Woman’s Day.

“I love Julie and Dave, so to be reunited with Erik [Thomson] and the cast, it was a such a joy.”

Set six years after 2013’s finale, which saw Dave, Julie and daughter Ruby hit the road, the Rafters have taken up residence in a country town, and while their new idyllic life is all smooth sailing at the start, it doesn’t take long for drama to come knocking.

“There are lots of surprises, that’s for sure,” Rebecca teases.

“But I think what the world needs right now is a dose of family and what better way than to reintroduce a family that was loved for so long by so many people?”

And while most of the cast, which includes Hugh Sheridan, Angus McLaren and Michael Caton are set to return, one notable character will look slightly different – Jessica Marais’ Rachel, who dropped out of the show last year citing “personal reasons”.

But Rebecca assures fans her replacement, Georgina Haig, is a worthy addition.

“She’s such a wonderful actress and a really lovely human, she fit in straight away,” says Rebecca.

Earlier this year, the Gold Logie winner generated headlines when she began documenting her weight loss on social media.

“I have spent the last few years constantly complaining about those extra kilos, and even when we were filming Back To The Rafters, I was still carrying a bit of weight with the excuse that Julie likes being cuddly,” she laughs.

“But I decided to overhaul my diet more for my energy levels than anything else and it was great!”

Rebecca enlisted Australia’s top biomedical scientist Dr Zac Turner and The Bachelor’s Sam Wood to help her, and while she admits she’s seen the “scales creep back up” during winter, she believes in everything in moderation.

“I’ll never deny myself a glass or two of wine and some chocolate or hot chips!” says Rebecca.

Back To The Rafters premieres exclusively on Amazon Prime on Friday.