Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian, 42, has announced her move from Britain to Ireland in a moving video about personal struggles and the need for a fresh start.
Citing severe burnout from her life in London and struggling with the loss of a close friend shortly after the birth of her second child, Ali – best known for her role as Becca Dean in the E4 show – revealed that the moving to Ireland is part of a healing process for herself and her family.
In the emotional video shared on social media, Ali said goodbye to her London flat before documenting the journey with her husband and children to their new home in the west of Ireland.
In clips in the video, Ali and her husband, actor David O’Mahony, 41, can be seen packing up their lives and traveling by car and plane with their two daughters Isabella, one, and Isla, four.
The turmoil comes as Ali and her family seek comfort and a change of pace after major challenges.
Hollyoaks actress Ali Bastian, 42, has announced her move from Britain to Ireland in a moving video about personal struggles and the need for a fresh start
The actress cited the major burnout from her life in London and the struggle with the loss of a good friend shortly after the birth of her second child as a reason for moving.
Alongside the video, she told her fans: ‘Saying goodbye to my flat in London was very emotional, I lived there for about 18 years. I rented it first and bought it a few years later.
‘It was the safest I had ever felt… I moved a lot as a child and often felt very restless for all kinds of reasons. This flat was my life raft through the highs and lows of my career, through the madness of covid, it’s where my babies came home from hospital, took their first steps… all the magical mess of life… The good, the bad…the hilarious and then the heartbreak.
‘I never thought I would want to leave, but life had other plans. I had a very difficult second birth and postpartum period with my second and ended up having my little family go to Ireland last year for a circuit breaker because my body just wasn’t healing.
‘Two weeks after I was in Ireland my c-section finally closed, I was about seven months old at the time. My nervous system was finally getting the rest it so desperately needed – I was definitely suffering from severe burnout at the time and life in London was just too much on top of everything else.
‘When we returned to London there were more turbulent times and some huge losses that brought me to my knees. Too raw to go in. Somehow I put one foot in front of the other for my husband and babies.
“The work of ‘performer and actor’ that I have done professionally since childhood felt almost impossible to appear in, too vulnerable, too exposed… I never imagined the career I loved, the thing that was my escape from a challenging situation. childhood would be so hard. That appearing in public in my own skin could feel so out of reach. Overachieving – a survival strategy devised in childhood that no longer works. What must we do?
‘We had to make a change, my husband has worked every minute of every day to keep us going and help me and our girls through it all. Last summer a small seed of hope was planted and a daydream that turned into late night discussions…could we do it? Should we do it? Can we make it work?
‘Slowly a plan was hatched and here we are now in our cottage, overlooking the ocean on the west coast of Ireland…’
Ali – best known for her role as Becca Dean in the E4 show – revealed that the move to Ireland was part of a healing process for herself and her family
In the emotional video shared on social media, Ali said goodbye to her London flat before documenting the journey with her husband and children to their new home in the west of Ireland.
In the heartbreaking video, Ali documents her journey with the family on board a flight to Ireland
Another clip shows how the family landed and started over in their new home across the water
Ali wrote a lengthy post alongside the montage, saying it has an “exciting future” that will help her become “more connected”
Former co-stars Jodi Albert and Sarah Jayne Dunn and Loose Women star Kelle Bryan sent well wishes of support
Ali is best known for her role as Becca Dean in Hollyoaks through the years 2001 – 2007 (pictured in 2004)
She added, “This is more than a house run project for us… this move felt like our best chance at healing.
‘So far from what I have known, to begin the journey home, to myself. Acting still has my heart and I hope that through my healing journey I can become a more connected and honest artist. At home.’
Ali concluded her lengthy post with: “No longer needing to be a life raft, but more of a springboard to an exciting future.”
Ali, best known for her role as Becca Dean in Hollyoaks, shared the heartfelt video to give insight into their decision and keep fans updated on their new chapter.
Former co-stars including Jodi Albert and Sarah Jayne Dunn left emojis in messages of support, while Loose Women’s Kell Bryan wrote: ‘Ali, I sincerely wish you and your family all the best with your move. I pray for light, peace and lots of sunshine.’
Ali had previously shared the news of how she gave birth to her second child, Isabella, just a week after the birth experienced a “tremendous loss” when her longtime friend Lou died.
She revealed the news of Lou’s death on Instagram in a heartbreaking post, saying she had lost one of her “oldest and best” friends.
The soap star gave birth to her first child, Isla, in March 2020 during the first coronavirus lockdown, after tying the knot with West End actor David in 2019.
The couple married in an intimate ceremony at London’s Old Marylebone Town Hall, before Ali opted to return to work after their honeymoon in the Maldives.
Ali revealed her second pregnancy ‘flied by’ because she was kept busy by her ‘wild’ toddler Isla.
When Ali and David announced Isabella’s birth with OK Magazine in February, Ali and David said: ‘She has arrived!
‘David and I welcomed our beautiful little girl into the world last Saturday.
‘Isla is the proudest big sister! Our little family is settling down together for her fourth trimester and will be back with more news soon!’