Kate Ritchie breaks her social media silence as she takes time off from her Nova radio gig to focus on her mental health after she was caught on camera in her very public meltdown

Kate Ritchie has returned to social media after images emerged of the media star acting erratically while picking up her daughter. The Nova 96.9 radio host, 46, appeared dishevelled in January after she was spotted visiting a bottle shop and breaking down in tears at a park. Now, more than one week after releasing a statement regarding her dealing with mental health struggles, the former Home and Away star has resurfaced on Instagram to plug her upcoming ABC series, The Role of A Lifetime.

Ritchie re-posted the poster art for the comedy-documentary series, which premieres February 18 and explores the challenges of parenting. In a statement shared to Instagram last Monday, Ritchie said she has been dealing with mental health struggles and will be taking a break from her radio show. 'I struggle with mental health issues at times, which are deeply personal. This has proven to be a bigger challenge than I imagined,' she began.

Kate Ritchie (pictured) has returned to social media after images emerged of the media star acting erratically while picking up her daughter. The former Home and Away star has resurfaced on Instagram to plug her upcoming ABC series, The Role of A Lifetime. 'So I have decided to take a break from the show and the team who I love to focus on my health. I want to thank all of those who are helping me through this very difficult time. I love you. Thank you Nova for being there when I need you.'.

Ritchie went on to address the images taken one week prior. 'This is also a problem many others are struggling with. They know what it's like. The images of me taken last week show that I wasn't okay on that day,' she continued. Ritchie went on to thank her friends and fans for their support over the past week. 'Thank you to my wonderful family, all the Nova Listeners, and many others who are sending their love and support. I appreciate it more than you can imagine,' she wrote.

The radio star has been shuttered away in her ritzy Randwick home in Sydney's eastern suburbs as she contended with the fallout from the alarming incident. Ritchie's agent Mark Morrissey and fellow manager Erin Keneally were seen arriving at the former Home and Away star's home mid-afternoon on Friday before leaving separately about an hour later. Images taken on Wednesday showed Ritchie driving a red Hyundai i30 to a BWS bottle shop near her home shortly after 3pm before picking up her daughter Mae from school and heading to a nearby park.

In a statement shared to Instagram on Monday, Ritchie said she has been struggling with mental health issues and will be taking a break from her radio show. The video obtained by Daily Mail Australia then shows the former actress crying while on the phone, wiping tears from her eyes and burying her head in her hands. A witness, who saw Ritchie get out of the car at the park, said the star 'looked really distressed'.

'She walked around a bit in the park while talking and then suddenly she sat down and started rocking her whole body back and forth and crying,' they said. 'It was really confronting – she looked so upset. When she turned around her eyes were all red and puffy and she looked absolutely devastated.'. Ritchie's daughter stayed in the car as she sat in the park, leaving the vehicle idle but the engine running.

The actress, who is set to front in the ABC's upcoming parenting special The Role of a Lifetime, was then seen struggling to get up from the grass. 'After the call ended, she tried to stand up but lost her balance and sort of fell over again,' the bystander added. 'When she finally managed to get to her feet, she started making another phone call... she looked much happier during that call.'. Ritchie, who hasn't been photographed since November last year, also addressed the shock images taken last week.

Handing her daughter her phone through the rear passenger window, Ritchie then walked around to the back of the vehicle – holding an arm out on the car as she got into the driver's seat and drove home. Nova's co-hosts had promised their audience earlier in the week that the absent Ritchie would be returning to the show on Monday but ceased to mention her impending return after details of the daytime drama were made public on Friday.

Although the heavily promoted their program as 'Fitzy and Wippa with Kate Ritchie' throughout Friday's breakfast program, her absence went largely unacknowledged as fellow network star Chrissie Swan has been filling the void. Nova refused to comment on Friday when asked whether Ritchie would be returning to the show this week or expand on the circumstance surround the episode. Her agent also refused to respond to Daily Mail Australia's requests for comment.