Natalie Bassingthwaighte shot to fame when she joined Neighbours in 2003, playing man-hungry schemer Izzy Hoyland. Known to fans as “Nat Bass”, she’s since done it all, fronting electro-pop band Rogue Traders, exercising her dramatic chops on Underbelly and judging The X Factor NZ alongside Stan Walker.
Her latest gig is a return to reality TV, racing around the world with big sister Melinda Sheldrick on The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition.
“I’m always up for a challenge,” tells Nat, 49. “I love The Amazing Race. It’s a really positive show – friends and family having a good time, making money for their charities. But we also really push ourselves.”

Melinda is an Amazing Race superfan who convinced Nat to take part. But the sisters learned that filming the show is much more extreme than simply bingeing it – this series sees 11 teams battle it out on a gruelling dash across some of the world’s harshest environments in Argentina, South Africa, Namibia and Thailand.
“It looks hard watching, but it’s much harder in real life,” tells Nat. “You don’t even see the hardest parts. We’re racing through the day, carrying a 20kg backpack, and when we get to bed, we’re completely wrecked. Our adrenaline is so high – it’s the wildest ride ever.”

Nat and ex-husband Cam McGlinchey have two kids, Harper, 13, and Hendrix, 11. The pair announced their separation in 2022 after 12 years of marriage. Nat then went public with her new love, stage manager Pip Loth, in late 2023. The pair met while working on the Alanis Morissette musical Jagged Little Pill in 2021.
Though her split from Cam was a lot to navigate, Nat says she’s proud of the way her children have coped. “With kids, it’s just saying, ‘Life isn’t perfect. We’re going to make mistakes, we’re going to fall over and then we’re going to have to pick ourselves up.
“I hope the kids have seen how Cam, Pip and I have handled this difficult situation with as much grace and integrity as we possibly could. There’s a lot of love and respect in that space for us now. We’re all very grateful for that.”

As well as her children, Nat’s other driving force was her charity of choice, the Black Dog Institute, an Aussie medical research institute for mood disorders. Diagnosed with depression in her early twenties, it’s a cause close to Nat’s heart.
“They’re very helpful to people who struggle with mental health or have someone in their family who struggles,” she explains. “Having had a friend who passed away from suicide, it was really important to my sister and I to support Black Dog.”

Nat manages her own mental health by constantly checking in with herself.
“I’m in a great place,” she says. “That doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes get down or feel overwhelmed. But I keep soul-searching and I still have my regular therapy. At the end of the day, being comfortable in your own skin changes a lot – and I definitely feel that.”
Ready, set… Go!

Alongside Nat and Melinda, there are 10 other pairs competing on The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition, which boasts a top prize of $100,000 for the winning duo’s chosen charity.
Wrangling the sports legends, entertainers and reality TV stars is Top Gear Australia co-host and former NRL star Beau Ryan, who says the teams will be tested “on every level”.
He adds, “Every season, we go to incredible locations. But the cities, towns and countries we visit this year are next-level. The elements get quite brutal and really push our teams, which creates plenty of drama.”
Among the other celebrities are Married At First Sight Australia star Cyrell Paule, Love Island’s Eden Dally, Olympic swimming legend Ian Thorpe, singer Havana Brown and UFC heavy-weight fighter Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa.
The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition screens 7pm Sundays on TVNZ 2 and streams on TVNZ +.
If you’re struggling with your mental health, please call or text 1737 at any time to speak to a trained counsellor for free. For the Suicide Crisis Helpline, phone 0508 TAUTOKO. In an emergency, always dial 111.