Perth-born model Gemma Ward is back with a new campaign for Country Roads and this interview in Sunday Style, The Daily Telegraph. The caption on Ward’s image above: “I felt a bit mute as a model. I wanted to find my story.” sums up her decision to take a hiatus from modelling.

In her own words, Gemma Ward, photographed here by Beau Grealey and styled by Christine Centenera, her timeout was driven by “wanting to focus on some things inside, to go on a journey of self-discovery, find my truth — all those things that sound funny when you say them out loud”.

What else would be expect from a model who used to read Tolstoy backstage at Paris fashion week! Writer Darryl Kerrigan shares more Gemma Ward serenity stories. Ward and her partner, David Letts, a Sydney

The softspoken Ward talks a lot about power and learning how to fight for herself.

“In many ways, David taught me how to fight,” says Ward, by which she means standing up for herself – not kicking ass.

“When I say ‘fight’,” she explains, “I mean fight for what I believe in and what I need. That’s something I want to instil in my daughter – a mental toughness, a sense of confidence in herself and an ability to completely own whatever she feels.”

And what about what Ward feels? “Um, I think it’s about authority, really.

Gemma Ward’s wonderfully candid words should be digested by many in the fashion world. We all have a lot to learn from her critical life decisions. ~ Anne