Rachel Hunter has entered the South African jungle as part of the cast of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Australia 2026.
The New Zealand supermodel, 56, made her debut on the reality TV show on Sunday, January 18, and has dished some intimate details about her high-profile marriage to Rod Stewart.
A preview clip for Monday, January 19, showed Rachel opening up to her campmates about how she got engaged to the British rocker just three weeks after meeting him.
Their whirlwind relationship saw them tie the knot just three months later, despite their 24-year age gap, and she has now described the relationship as “magic”.
“We were together for like seven years, it was great,” she shared on the Channel 10 show.
“We were on the road, it was magic. We had an amazing relationship, and we have a lot of respect for each other.”
Rachel and Rod welcomed two children together, Renee, 33, and Liam, 31, during their relationship before they went their separate ways after seven years together.
However, they remain on good terms and Rachel said they are “very good friends” to this day.
“It was just a beautiful seven years of my life that kind of happened,” she added.
“During my marriage, it was the way it was meant to be. As far as “wow, crazy wild”, no, it was just part of my life.”
But what made Rachel famous, and what is she doing now?
Read on for everything you need to know about the model.
What made Rachel Hunter famous?
Rachel rose to prominence at the age of 16 when she began her modelling career in her native New Zealand.
Her career was launched with the Tip Top Trumpet ice cream, which has become a Kiwi classic and has been used many times over the years.
She was discovered when a photographer noticed her on the beach and asked if she would model in the studio.
Rachel was initially hesitant and spoke to her mother, who then accompanied her to the studio for the photoshoot.
Her career took off very quickly, and within months, she was modelling on the covers of major magazines.
Rachel launched her international modelling career when she moved to Paris, which was a significant step in her rise to global fame.
She became a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model in 1989 and signed on as the spokesperson for Cover Girl cosmetics.
Rachel has also modelled for major titles including Vogue and Playboy, and is one of New Zealand’s most high-profile models of all time.
What happened with Rod Stewart and Rachel Hunter?
Rachel first met British rock star Rod Stewart at a Los Angeles nightclub in 1990, and a romance quickly formed between them.
It was quite the whirlwind romance, and they tied the knot just three months after meeting, despite their 24-year age gap.
Rachel was 21 years old when they first met, while Rod was 45 years old at the time.
During their marriage, they welcomed two children together, a daughter, Renee, 33, and a son, Liam, 31.
However, the couple went their separate ways in 1990 due to wanting different things.
“You can’t really expect a 22-year-old girl to react the same way as a man 24 years older than her,” Rachel previously shared.
Despite their separation, the exes remain on good terms and speak fondly of each other as co-parents to their two children.
They both attended their son Liam’s wedding to his partner, Nicole Artukovich, in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in June 2024.
Rachel and Rod’s current wife, Penny Lancaster, posed for photographs together at the wedding, proving there was no bad blood.
Rachel is now a grandparent to Liam’s two children, Louie and Elsie.
What song did Rod Stewart write about Rachel Hunter?
Rod didn’t write a specific song about Rachel, but she famously starred in one of his music videos.
She starred as the mysterious woman in the video for his 1991 track Broken Arrow from his album Vagabond Heart.
Rod hasn’t attributed any specific track to Rachel, but admitted their divorce “tore me to shreds” and penned many emotional songs to process the split.
Did Robbie Williams and Rachel Hunter date?
Yes! Robbie and Rachel dated for around a year in 2002 following her split from Rod.
They first met in Los Angeles and had a very high-profile relationship until their split around 10 months later.
Rachel cited difficulties with Robbie’s mood swings and navigating a long-distance relationship as the reason for their break-up at the time.
Though it was short-lived, Rachel previously said her relationship with Robbie was one of her most meaningful.
“He was a very big love of my life,” she told Piers Morgan in 2006.
Robbie, on the other hand, later said that he knew Rachel wasn’t “the one”.
What does Rachel Hunter do now?
Rachel is now a yoga teacher and leads retreats around the globe focusing on spirituality.
She often takes to social media to share an insight into her travels around the world and promote her retreats.
Rachel has led retreats in locations including India, Bali, and New Zealand, often with her daughter Renee.
She runs two different retreat pages, Spiritual Seekers and Rituals with Rachel Hunter.
