She was once a familiar face in Australian living rooms, but former Neighbours star Rebecca Ritters has traded the fictional dramas of Ramsay Street for the real-life dangers of the world's conflict zones.
From Soap Opera Child Star to 'Annoying' Icon
Rebecca Ritters, now 41, first stepped onto the famous cul-de-sac as eight-year-old Hannah Martin in 1992. She remained a fixture on the smash hit soap for seven dramatic years, becoming one of the show's most recognisable young faces during the 1990s.
Her character was involved in major storylines, including the emotional plot of her mother's death. Interestingly, Hannah Martin frequently appears on fans' lists of the most annoying characters in Neighbours history. Australian newspaper The Herald Sun even noted that many viewers considered Hannah "the most annoying character ever on the soap".
Sky's 2010 celebration of Neighbours' 25th anniversary highlighted how Hannah's plots typically revolved around three scenarios: crying because nobody liked her at school, crying because she was fighting with Debbie, or crying because her dad Phil was dating.
The Unlikely Pivot to Journalism
After leaving Neighbours in 1999, with a brief return for the show's 20th anniversary in 2005, Ritters continued acting with appearances on Coronation Street as Jules Robinson and tours with the British Shakespeare Company.
However, her career took an unexpected turn when she swapped acting for journalism. Ritters earned a degree in Politics and International Relations and moved into news production, eventually joining Deutsche Welle (DW) in Berlin, Germany, in 2015.
Reporting from the World's Most Dangerous Places
Far from the controlled environment of television studios, Ritters now works as a foreign correspondent in some of the globe's most perilous locations. Her reporting has taken her to war zones in Ukraine and Afghanistan, and she recently spent two years in Jerusalem covering the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In September 2024, she shared a powerful reflection on Instagram about her experiences, posting an image of herself in protective gear with burning debris in the background. She described the posting as "truly life changing" and expressed gratitude to the strangers who trusted her with their stories during difficult times.
Her colleagues at DW have admitted their surprise at working alongside their childhood television hero, having grown up watching Neighbours. Ritters herself acknowledges that her early years on the soap provided unexpected training for her current career, teaching her how to be confident on camera and tell stories compellingly.
Despite the valuable experience, she has spoken about the challenges of childhood fame, revealing she was teased and laughed at by other children at school. Nevertheless, she reflects fondly on her time with the "wonderful cast and crew" and acknowledges that her seven years on Neighbours changed the course of her life forever.
