Rachel Amanda Friend (born 8 January 1970) is an Australian actress and journalist.
Early life Friend was born on 8 January 1970. She has an older brother and a younger sister. She completed her HSC at Sacré Cœur School, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and deferred a commerce course at University of Melbourne.
Career Friend began her screen career with roles in Zoo Family, Prime Time and The Bartons. She also starred in the 1986 family adventure film Frog Dreaming.
Friend joined the cast of the soap opera Neighbours in 1988, when she was eighteen. Friend chose to postpone her university degree to join the show as Bronwyn Davies. Friend quit Neighbours in 1990. That same year saw her win the Logie Award for Most Popular Actress.
After leaving Neighbours, Friend starred as Annette in the telemovie Mission Top Secret, alongside Beth Buchanan. Other roles include Golden Fiddles (1991), and a brief appearance in Round The Twist as a mermaid.
Friend then moved into TV journalism. In 1991, she became a reporter for Midday with Ray Martin. She was a reporter for A Current Affair for seven years, until her departure in 2001. Friend co-hosted the Seven Network show Saturday Kitchen with her husband Stuart MacGill.
In 2003, Friend established her own PR agency, Media Friendly. In July 2007, she produced and presented the Seven Network parenting show, Mums and Bubs. In 2009, Friend began hosting a television show on the Seven Network called New Idea TV alongside Barbara Northwood, Tom Williams and a variety of other presenters.
Personal life In 1993, Friend married Australian actor-singer Craig McLachlan whom she had met on the set of Neighbours. They divorced the following year. McLachlan's hit song "Amanda" was about Friend, which is her middle name.
Friend married Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill in Melbourne in October 2000, after meeting in 1999 when she interviewed him for A Current Affair. They have two children together – a son born in 2003 and a daughter born in 2006. The pair separated and subsequently divorced in 2013.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1985 Zoo Family Susie's friend Episode: "The Good, The Bad and Martin"1986 Frog Dreaming Wendy aka The Quest (US) and The Go Kids (UK) Prime Time 1988 The Bartons Miranda Episode: "Bartons on the Beach" 1988–1990 Neighbours Bronwyn Davies Series regular Round The Twist Mermaid1991 Golden Fiddles Kitty Balfour Miniseries Midday Reporter 1992 Mission Top Secret Annette TV movie / pilot 1993 London Tonight Reporter 1996 Wild Life Presenter Also writer 1999 A Current Affair Reporter Saturday Kitchen Co-host (with husband Stuart MacGill) 2001 A Current Affair Reporter Episode: "Vaccination: A Stab in the Dark?" 2005 Under the Grandstand Guest Episode: #1.4 2007 Mums and Bubs Presenter Also producer 2009 New Idea TV Host 2018 The Go Kids: Looking Back on Frog Dreaming Self TV special (short)
Awards and nominations Year AssociationCategory Work Result 1989Logie Awards Most Popular New Talent Neighbours 1990 Most Popular Actress 1992 Most Popular Actress in a Telemovie or Miniseries Golden Fiddles
References
External links MediaFriendly website