Why Jo Beth Taylor disappeared from the spotlight: Hey Hey It's Saturday star turned her back on fame in the late '90s after becoming so depressed she couldn't leave the house

By Kinta Walsh-cotton For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

Jo Beth Taylor was a household name in the 1990s, but her rise to fame as a television star was over soon after it began.

The now 51-year-old, who also dabbled in a music career on the side, was known for hosting Australia's Funniest Home Video Show on Channel Nine, as well as Hey Hey It's Saturday and What's Up Doc?

But as the new millennium approached, Taylor disappeared from the small screen and relocated to San Diego, California, after suffering from depression and burnout.

Jo Beth Taylor (pictured on Australia's Funniest Home Video Show) was a household name in the 1990s, but her rise to fame as a television star was over soon after it began

Jo Beth Taylor (pictured on Australia's Funniest Home Video Show) was a household name in the 1990s, but her rise to fame as a television star was over soon after it began 

Taylor abruptly quit her television career in 1997 because she felt 'burnt out' after dealing with a stalker and a 'devastating' false rumour she'd filmed a sex tape.

'There were warning signs that I was headed for an emotional crash. I was burnt out, found myself crying for days on end and unable to leave the house,' she previously told New Idea.

'I was dealing with a stalker situation, plus there was that untrue but devastating rumour I'd done a sex tape.'

The now 51-year-old, who also dabbled in a music career on the side, was known for hosting Australia's Funniest Home Video Show on Channel Nine, as well as Hey Hey It's Saturday

The now 51-year-old, who also dabbled in a music career on the side, was known for hosting Australia's Funniest Home Video Show on Channel Nine, as well as Hey Hey It's Saturday

Taylor said she felt like she had been 'kicked in the stomach', so she went to live with a friend in the United States.

'I loved the anonymity [of living in America]. I became a barista, went surfing every day, got my head together and loved life again,' she said.

She returned to Australia in August 1999, one year before she married her second husband, Austrian former world No. 1 tennis player Thomas Muster.

As the new millennium approached, Taylor disappeared from the small screen and relocated to San Diego, California, after suffering from depression and burnout

As the new millennium approached, Taylor disappeared from the small screen and relocated to San Diego, California, after suffering from depression and burnout 

The pair, who share one son together, divorced in 2005.

The former Hey Hey host was married once before, to guitarist Jamie Jardine in 1992.

In 2006, Taylor met the man who would become her third husband, Matt Bennell, at their sons' sports matches in Noosa.

Taylor previously told New Idea she abruptly quit her television career in 1997 because she felt 'burnt out' after dealing with a stalker and a 'devastating' false rumour she'd filmed a sex tape

Taylor previously told New Idea she abruptly quit her television career in 1997 because she felt 'burnt out' after dealing with a stalker and a 'devastating' false rumour she'd filmed a sex tape

They began dating eight years later and announced their engagement in 2016.

As for her career in television, Taylor returned to Channel Nine in 2000 as a host for StarStruck which was the last regular TV role she had until Dirty Jobs in 2007.

More recently, she picked up roles here and there in entertainment, appearing on Dancing with the Stars in 2010 and I'm a Celebrity in 2016. 

'There were warning signs that I was headed for an emotional crash. I was burnt out, found myself crying for days on end and unable to leave the house,' she said

'There were warning signs that I was headed for an emotional crash. I was burnt out, found myself crying for days on end and unable to leave the house,' she said 

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