'Old news!' Kate Fischer hits back at weight jibes

The '90s glamour model formerly known as Kate Fischer wants you all to know that she's left her famous past and her old name behind her.

The former actress, who starred alongside Elle MacPherson in racy '90s flick Sirens, says she may look unrecognisable today, but insists that her new look is actually old news.

"Hello! I've done a bit of a lengthy write up somewhere on this page (sorry - not techie at all!)," she wrote on her Facebook overnight.

"When it comes to me, mine is the voice that you can trust. 'Kate got fat! Kate got fat! Kate got fat!' is older news than Moses. And anyway that's not my legal name anymore.

"Thanks guys for checking in with me. I'm no longer desirous of being a public figure but I've noticed a bit of interest in this page in the last 24 hours so I thought I'd say G'day!"

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Nearly two decades after she left the celebrity world, Kate re-emerged in Melbourne, surprising neighbours as she moved into an upscale apartment in the city's fancy suburb of Toorak.

"I had no idea it was Kate Fischer," one neighbour told to Woman's Day.

"She's very private, I don't think she goes out much. I see the lights on but I often don't see her for weeks at a time. I think she leads a very simple life. There's certainly never any loud music or late-night parties," they added.

The Sirens star has been in the spotlight since winning the Dolly Magazine cover girl competition at the age of 13. However in recent years the former model changed her name to Tziporah Malka (a traditional name on her matrilineal line) after embracing her Jewish heritage.

Tziporah, who turns 43 next week, took to Facebook to clear the air on her legal name change.

"Tziporah is how I wish to be addressed," she wrote. "You won't get far with Kate - it is not my name and it is disrespectful for people to be wilfully rude and ignore this simple request."

She also clarified her wish to remain out of the public eye, explaining that she now works in the health care industry.

"As mentioned earlier I retired from the public life close to ten years ago," she tells. "I do not grant interviews and have no interest in being in the public eye. I work in the health care industry and very much enjoy helping others. I am content in most ways and appreciate my life being a private one now.

"Thank you for reading all this. I am not very techie so I don't know how to do this really! Once I get the hang of it I'll do a proper website or something but it isn't that high on my list of priorities. Shalom - peace be with you. Tziporah."

Friends of the former TV presenter and actress told the publication that Tziporah has no regrets about giving up her fame in Australia.

"I know she'd still like to fall in love and have a family of her own, but she's happy," a friend told the magazine.

"She had to relentlessly diet to maintain her model figure for most of her life before she moved to LA and decided she couldn't care less about that."

James ended the couple's engagement after two years, with Kate then retreating overseas to escape the limelight of being the billionaire's ex-fiancé.

"Sometimes I think I should have stayed in Australia and battled it out a bit, you know? But I was so devastated and I felt like he held all the cards," she has previously said.

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