Kate Ritchie smiles with a male friend as she arrives on the set of Australia's Got Talent

Kate Ritchie couldn’t wipe the smile off her face when she arrived on the set of Australia’s Got Talent in Sydney last month accompanied by a male friend.

The former Home and Away star, 43, who was heartbroken when his marriage to ex-NRL player Stuart Webb fell apart in 2019, looked particularly cheerful with Joel Caffery, who is the casting and talent manager for AGT.

While nothing suggests the pair more than friends, it’s clear from his jovial demeanor that Joel is helping Kate find her groove again after a few difficult years.

Kate Ritchie (left) couldn’t wipe the smile off her face when she arrived on the set of Australia’s Got Talent in Sydney last month accompanied by her friend Joel Caffery (right)

Radio presenter Nova FM flaunts her clear skin without makeup and clutches a $4,900 Louis Vuitton bag as she starts shooting the other day.

Kate wore a warm black and red tracksuit, which was teamed up with an oversized tweed coat.

Then, she swept her brown hair back into a high ponytail as she left the studio clutching her coat, with Joel once again by her side.

A busy day watching the auditions definitely made their move interesting, as the friends were seen smiling and laughing as they walked down the path.

Kate, who was heartbroken when her marriage to former NRL player Stuart Webb fell apart in 2019, looked particularly cheerful with Joel, who is the casting and talent manager for AGT.

The former Home and Away star, 43, wore a black and red tracksuit, which he teamed with an oversized tweed coat.

While there’s nothing to suggest the pair are more than friends, it’s clear from his jovial demeanor that Joel is helping Kate find her groove again after a difficult few years.

Radio presenter Nova FM flaunts her clean, no-makeup skin and clutches a $4,900 Louis Vuitton bag as she begins filming day again.

Daily Mail Australia revealed last December Kate had split from her last known boyfriend, 25-year-old cyber security expert John Bell, after a whirlwind romance of less than a year.

‘Kate is single. Lockdown is to blame,” a source said at the time.

‘Kate and John haven’t seen each other since January [2021], although the border to Victoria opened a few weeks ago. He never mentioned wanting to visit her once.’

Daily Mail Australia revealed last December Kate had split from her last known boyfriend, 25-year-old cybersecurity expert John Bell, after a whirlwind romance of less than a year.

The pair were last seen together in January 2021 during a full PDA vacation in Byron Bay, NSW. (John Bell seen here in undated Facebook photo)

Kate was previously married to retired NRL player Stuart Webb

Kate and her ex-husband Stuart Webb pose with their daughter Mae in January 2019 in Sydney

The pair were last seen together in January 2021 during a full PDA vacation in Byron Bay, New South Wales.

The former soap opera star was previously married to retired NRL player Stuart Webb, with whom he shares a daughter, Mae.

It came after Kate teased her role as a judge on Australia’s Got Talent on Instagram.

At one stage, Joel put his arm around Kate’s shoulder

It came after Kate teased her role as judge on Australia’s Got Talent on Instagram

He posted a promo photo of himself at the talent show set, and wrote ‘Get ready for AGT!’

“I am not only honored to share the panel with Neil Patrick Harris, Alesha Dixon and Shane Jacobson, but also very excited to see the incredible talent Australia has to offer,” he said.

He posted a promo photo of himself at the talent show set, and wrote ‘Get ready for AGT!’

Checking the names of his fellow judges, he added: ‘I am not only honored to share the AGT panel with Neil Patrick Harris, Alesha Dixon and Shane Jacobson but also very excited to see the incredible talent Australia has to offer.’

However, since the announcement, British actor David Walliams has replaced Neil Patrick Harris as judge on the show.

Since Kate’s announcement, British actor David Walliams has replaced Neil Patrick Harris as judge on the show

The famous talent show changed their judges for the year, with Shane as the only one to return from the 2019 line-up.

Australia’s Got Talent has a new panel this year, with Shane the only judge to return from the last time the program aired in 2019.

The season also featured chef Manu Feildel, Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger and musical theater performer Lucy Durack.

David, who compared his judging style to ‘Tom Cruise in Top Gun’, had high expectations of Australian competitors.

“All the Australians I’ve met have been very friendly, so I don’t expect them to be as shy as the British are sometimes,” he said.

Kate will appear on the AGT panel alongside David Walliams, who compares her judging style to ‘Tom Cruise in Top Gun’

David, a judge on the British version of the show, says the enduring appeal of the Got Talent franchise is its family-friendly nature.

‘People have more time than usual to work on their act, so I expect the standards to be very high.

‘If it’s like Britain’s Got Talent, there’s going to be a lot of excitement when people first step on stage, because a lot of people haven’t done it in a long time.’

He says the enduring appeal of the Got Talent franchise is its family-friendly nature.

“Shows like Got Talent bring the whole family together and you want to watch it when it happens,” he said.

A production source told Daily Mail Australia that Neil Patrick Harris, who lives in LA, gave the opportunity to return to the series because he wasn’t happy with his previous run.

A production source told Daily Mail Australia that Neil, who lives in LA, gave the opportunity to return to the series because he was unhappy with his previous journey.

Last year, the How I Met Your Mother star was forced to fly back to America two days after completing a hotel quarantine in Sydney as the city resumed its Covid lockdown.

“She won’t embarrass her kids again,” the insider said.

New Australia’s Got Talent coming soon on Channel Seven and 7Plus

Last year, the How I Met Your Mother star was forced to fly back to America two days after completing a hotel quarantine in Sydney when the city was under lockdown due to Covid-19.

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