At the time, RGM Artists confirmed the news in a statement, saying: “Jessica Marais has decided to step away from the new series Back to the Rafters for personal reasons.
In a first-look snap, released by Amazon, Georgina (Rachel Rafter) stands next to her new on-screen brothers Hugh Sheridan (Ben Rafter) and Angus McLaren (Nathan Rafter).
The reboot picks up six years from when viewers last saw the Rafter family.
In the newly scripted series, Dave and Julie have created a new life in the country with their youngest daughter Ruby, while the older Rafter children are left to face their own challenges.
Grandpa Ted, played by Michael Caton, is also back, but among the newcomers to the series are HaiHa Le, Libby Tanner, Rose Riley, Aaron McGrath, Bruce Spence, and newbies Willow Speers and Kaspar Frost.
The news of Jess' stepping down was a massive blow for her fans, given that she pulled out of several other projects in recent years.
While fans were thrilled to hear she was reportedly making a comeback with the drama Halifax: Retribution, they were disappointed to hear that she had pulled out of filming in 2019.
At the time, a Nine spokesperson said: “Unfortunately the shooting time-frame just did not work with Jessica’s schedule and personal commitments.”
Prior to that, Jess also pulled out of Nine’s Bad Mothers just one month before it began filming in October, 2018, “to focus on her health and spend time with her family”.
