Bec Hewitt

Bec Hewitt
Bec Hewitt
Born	Rebecca June Cartwright; 23 July 1983 (age 40); Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Other names	Bec Cartwright
Occupations	Actress; presenter; singer;
Years active	1988–2006, 2018–present
Spouse	Lleyton Hewitt (m. 2005)
Children	3
	Musical career
Genres	Pop; power pop;
Labels	Warner Music Australia

Rebecca June Hewitt (née Cartwright; born 23 July 1983) is an Australian actress, presenter and singer. From 1998 to 2005, Hewitt played Hayley Smith Lawson on the soap opera Home and Away. As Bec Cartwright, Hewitt released an eponymous pop music album in 2002. In 2005, she married professional tennis player Lleyton Hewitt.

Career

Cartwright began her acting career at age 5 for television commercials. In 1992, she made her mainstream television debut on an episode of Police Rescue.^[1] She has also guest starred in Water Rats and Roar.

She won her breakout role and best-known role to date in 1998, portraying Hayley Smith Lawson on Home and Away. Cartwright became a series fan favourite and earned herself numerous Logie Award nominations until 2005. In the same year, Cartwright earned a Most Popular Actress win.^[1] She coincidentally fell pregnant within months of her 'Home and Away' character, and then left the series to become a full-time mother. For a short period of time, Ella Scott Lynch replaced her as Hayley before the character departed the series in the 2005 season finale.

In 2002, Cartwright signed a recording contract with Warner Music Australia and East West Records. Her debut single "All Seats Taken" was released 18 November 2002 and peaked at 10 on the ARIA Music Charts. Her follow-up singles "On the Borderline" and "A Matter of Time" both failed to match the same success, both charting only the Top 30. Her self-titled debut album was released on 16 June 2003 and, despite high expectations, charted only at 21 and was certified Gold. The album was met with mixed reviews, with Smash Hits giving the album two out of five stars. In 2004, Cartwright ended her partnership with Warner Music.

Cartwright was announced as a contestant in the first season of Dancing with the Stars. She and her partner Michael Miziner won the first season on 23 November 2004. The couple returned in an opening performance in a dance routine during the second-season premiere.

She hosted Abba Mania, which premiered in November 2006 on Nine Network. The special was met with controversy surrounding the fact that the only celebrity performers were Nine Network personalities. Hewitt's performance was met with largely negative reviews.

In 2018, Hewitt announced her return to television, 13 years since she left Home and Away, with the new Nine Network travel series Helloworld.^[2] The series premiered on 7 October with Hewitt hosting in Episode 1 in Queensland – Hamilton Island.^[3]

Personal life

Cartwright was born in Sydney on 23 July 1983 the youngest child of Darrel and Michelle Cartwright. She has an older brother and sister.^[1] After a four-year relationship with fellow Home and Away co-star Beau Brady, Cartwright and Brady were briefly engaged.^[4]

Soon after the end of her engagement, Cartwright began a relationship with tennis player Lleyton Hewitt. On 5 May 2005, the couple announced they were expecting their first child. The pair married on 21 July 2005; the wedding was at the Sydney Opera House, and their reception took place at Taronga Zoo. The event attracted much media attention, with Bec and Lleyton selling exclusive coverage of the day to magazine New Idea.^[5] Fellow actresses and friends Ada Nicodemou and Kate Ritchie were bridesmaids. Commemorative stubby holders were given as gifts to all guests.

On 29 November 2005, Cartwright gave birth to daughter at Sydney's North Shore Private Hospital. Before her birth, a contract was made with women's magazine Woman's Day involving regular diaries from Bec and exclusive photos and interviews of the family for the first two years of Mia's life. The couple attracted much criticism for the observation that they had effectively "sold" their daughter to the highest bidder. On 11 December 2008, Hewitt gave birth to a baby boy whom the couple named Cruz Lleyton Hewitt.^[6] Their third child, a daughter, was born on 19 October 2010.^[7] Her name was announced via a text message subscription service for the cost of $2, a move that attracted much criticism of Bec and Lleyton.

In February 2009, after revelations about Hewitt's previously unknown offshore income and bank accounts were revealed during a legal battle with his former management company, Octagon Sports Marketing, the couple relocated to a $3.8 million home at the Old Fort Bay estate in Nassau, Bahamas.^[8]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Police Rescue	Emma	Season 2, episode 9
1997	Water Rats	School Girl	Season 2, episode 8
1997	Roar	Young Caitlin	Season 1, episode 9
1998–2005	Home and Away	Hayley Smith/Lawson	Season 11–18 (main role)
2002	Home and Away: Secrets and the City	Hayley Smith/Lawson	Video special
2002	Carols in Domain	Herself	TV special
2003	Saturday Disney	Herself	Season 14 (guest, 1 episode)
2003	The Saturday Show	Herself	Season 1, episode 101
2004–05, 2021	Dancing with the Stars	Herself – contestant	Season 1–2, 18
2004	Home and Away: Hearts Divided	Herself – host	Video special
2004	Carols in Domain	Herself	TV special
2004	Sn:TV	Herself	1 episode
2005	Today Tonight	Herself	4 February 2005
2005	Home and Away: Romances	Herself	Video special
2015	Aegon Championships	Herself – Spectator	Day 1
2016	Wimbledon	Herself – Spectator	Day 8, Part 2
2018	Wimbledon	Herself – Spectator	Day 6, Parts 1 & 2
2018	Endless Summer: 30 Years of Home and Away	Herself	TV special
2018	Helloworld	Herself – presenter	Season 1, episode 1
2022	This Is Your Life: Ray Meagher	Herself	11 October 2022
TBA	Time & Place	Kylie	TV series
TBA	13 Summers	Kate	Post-production

Discography

Albums

List of studio albums
Title	album details	Peak chart positions
Title	album details	AUS
Bec Cartwright	Released 16 June 2003 Label: East West Records (2564604002) Formats: Compact Disc	21

Singles

Year	Song	Peak Positions	Certifications	Album
Year	Song	AUS^[9]	Certifications	Album
2002	"All Seats Taken"	10	ARIA: Gold^[9]	Bec Cartwright
2003	"On the Borderline"	29
2003	"A Matter of Time"	26

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2001	Logie Awards	Most Popular Actress	Home and Away (Season 13)	Nominated	^[10]
2004		Most Popular Actress	Home and Away (Season 16)	Nominated	^[11]
2005		Most Popular Actress	Home and Away (Season 17)	Won	^[12]
2005		Most Popular Personality on Australian Television	Home and Away (Season 17)	Nominated	^[12]
2006		Most Popular Actress	Home and Away (Season 18)	Nominated	^[13]
2006		Most Popular Personality on Australian Television	Home and Away (Season 18)	Nominated	^[13]

References

General

Hewitts' engagement announcement by Sydney Morning Herald
Reports from ABC (Australia) and Reuters^{[dead link]} regarding her marriage to Lleyton
On the Borderline peak position

Specific

^ ^a ^b ^c "Rebecca (Bec) Hewitt". Lleyton & Bec Hewitt. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^ "Bec Hewitt confirms huge news". New Idea Magazine. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
^ "Bec Hewitt's stress ahead of TV return". New Idea Magazine. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
^ Maley, Jacqueline; McKenny, Leesha (5 October 2010). "Bec's Beau tells why they split". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 9 October 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^ "Game, set and match for Bec and Lleyton". ABC News. 21 July 2005. Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^ "Bec and Lleyton Welcome Baby Boy". New Idea. 2009. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008.
^ "Lleyton Hewitt and Bec Hewitt confirm they are expecting third child". Herald Sun. 24 May 2010.
^ "Lleyton and Bec Hewitt buy $3.8m home in Bahamas". The Daily Telegraph. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
^ ^a ^b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 50.
^ "Logie Awards (2001)". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
^ "Logie Awards (2004)". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Logie Awards (2005)". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Logie Awards (2006)". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 30 August 2023.