Hunter says living in LA there’s always going to be that pressure and option to go under the knife. Photo / Paddy Foss
Hunter says living in LA there’s always going to be that pressure and option to go under the knife. Photo / Paddy Foss
Rachel Hunter tells Aroha Awarau about her new career, her acting ambitions and what she thinks about modern beauty ideals.
Rachel Hunter is currently based in Los Angeles, a place known as the plastic surgery capital of the world.
The Kiwi supermodel admits her simple approach to health and beautycan sometimes conflict with a city whose culture is focused on youthful looks.
“It’s more about washing your face with water and oil in the mornings. I have a very basic routine. I like to keep it as natural as possible. I’ve found this works for me; however, I know skin can be hard at different stages of life and things can change as you get older,” she says.
The 53-year-old can thank her parents for passing down good genes and says it’s the reason why she hasn’t had to rely on major plastic surgery to maintain her youthful looks. But she says living in LA there’s always going to be that pressure and option to go under the knife.
“LA is a hub, and we do relate to it as a city that focuses more on the aesthetic look.
It has to be a personal choice. Do I want to do this for me or am I doing it because I want to look better for the other person? Do I really feel like this is doing to be good for my body? How will it make me feel inside? Is it going to look fake? Will it change my face?
“As much as I can, I stay as natural as possible. But when it comes to surgery, if this is something that you want to change, and if it feels good and you love the way it feels, then do it. It’s such a personal choice of what you do with your own beauty and your face. Do what makes you happy.”
She’s speaking to Reset on a Zoom call from India, where she’s spent the past two months teaching and running a yoga retreat and scouting locations for future retreats.
In her motel room in Delhi, Hunter apologises that the backdrop on her Zoom call is drab. Two days ago, she was staying in a terrace room overlooking the Ganges River, and that would have been worth showing off, she says. But Hunter’s famous mane of blonde hair and her positive Kiwi attitude is enough to make up for the boring background.
“India is such a beautiful and diverse country. It has a pilgrimage way about it, of coming here and making discoveries about yourself,” she says.
Over the years, Rachel has spent a lot of time in India. The spiritual place is where Hunter went to grieve and heal after her mother, Janeen Phillips, died from cancer in 2017. She says the experience transformed her and she’s had a special connection to India ever since. She even studied at the Sattva Yoga Academy in India, alongside her 30-year-old daughter Renee Stewart.
Hunter has carved out a new career as a yoga teacher, leading retreats in India, Bali, and New Zealand. Next year, she will add Hawaii to the list. Sometimes she teaches alongside her daughter, and it’s an activity that brings the duo closer together.
“She’s a beautiful teacher. We work really well together, and we enjoy each other’s company. Other people connect with her energy. She has that beautiful youthfulness. I’m a proud mum.”
Despite her connection to spiritual places like India and Bali, Hunter says she will always be a Kiwi girl at heart. She left New Zealand at 16 and found immense success in the modelling industry at the peak of the supermodel craze. Her fame reached new heights when she married rock icon Rod Stewart at 21, and he was 45. They had two children, Renee, and Liam, 27.
She’s been living in LA since their separation in 1999 and divorce in 2006. But Hunter still has strong roots in New Zealand. She owns a property on a lifestyle block in Pakiri, an hour north of Auckland, which she tries to visit frequently.
“I love New Zealand. I love the fact that we have this incredible culture, our deep Māori connection, and that fierce love and beauty that is here. I love getting in the car and going on road trips, going up north to the beautiful beaches. It’s reconnecting with nature. That’s the bottom line.”
Throughout her modelling career, Hunter has lent her name and brand to endorse many New Zealand-produced products.
Hunter says her life requires a lot of world travel, but she still has strong roots in New Zealand. Photo / Paddy Foss
The latest is the skincare brand Essano. The company’s Rosehip Oil has been a mainstay of her beauty routine for 10 years. Hunter discovered the brand on the shelves at an Auckland supermarket while she was here as a judge on TVNZ’s New Zealand’s Got Talent in 2011.
Fast-forward to 2021, and Hunter was thrilled to see the products had eventually made it to the American market when she came across them at her local pharmacy in Los Angeles.
“It is always exciting to see a Kiwi brand reaching America, so I bought the product off the stand right there.”
Hunter did more than buy Essano’s oil. She contacted the company and told them that she was interested in partnering up with them and endorsing the Kiwi brand.
“I was like a stalker fan girl. You have to go out there and be proactive. That’s how you can create a natural synergy. We have great natural and sustainable products here in New Zealand. We have incredible plants. Mānuka is famous. The entire world needs to see that.”
Hunter has been busy juggling her partnership with organising and teaching her yoga retreats around the world.
Currently, her life requires a lot of world travel, especially since both her children live in London. She says LA is just a base for her. She recently sold her home in the Hollywood Hills and is renting in West Hollywood.
“I’ve been floating at the moment and seeing where my roots will lie. LA is where my dog is and where I unpack my suitcase. I’ll be renting in LA until I grow up and decide what I want to do.”
Hunter has recently discovered her artistic side. She’s just taken up painting – and enjoys drawing eyes and cobra snakes. She says she’d also love to get back into acting.
A search on her imdb.com page lists a range of roles, from A-List films like Rock Star with Mark Walberg and Jennifer Aniston to Piranhaconda (a horror featuring a piranha/anaconda hybrid monster) and Best Actress, where Hunter portrayed an Oscar-nominated actress.
“I wasn’t going to win any Academy Awards but I’m proud of what I did. It was a great experience. On movie sets, you become like a family and that felt really good.”
