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McLeod's Daughters veteran Simmone Jade Mackinnon shared a sweet tribute to her late co-star Rachael Carpani on Monday, to mark what would have been her 46th birthday.
The Australian actress, 53, posted a throwback clip on social media which featured never-before-seen footage capturing some of the fun times she and Rachael had enjoyed together on the set of the Channel Nine drama series.
The footage captured Rachael enjoying a break between filming as she joked with Simmone that she felt 'strange and nervous' to almost be done with her scenes.
Rachael and Simmone were then seen bonding on-set, as they joked about some of the fun experiences they had while filming the series over the years.
Simmone captioned the footage with some heartfelt words: 'This morning I whispered to the winds of the southern skies... "Take my love and birthday wishes to my friend, who resides up there. Wrap yourself around her, give her a birthday hug from me."
'Happy heavenly birthday Carpo… sure do miss you.'
McLeod's Daughters star Simmone Jade Mackinnon (pictured) shared a sweet tribute to her late co-star Rachael Carpani on Monday, to mark what would have been her 46th birthday
The Australian actress posted a throwback clip on social media which featured never-before-seen footage capturing some of the fun times she and Rachael (pictured) had enjoyed together on the set of the Channel Nine drama series
The pair co-starred on the popular drama series from 2003 - 2008, alongside Bridie Carter and Jessica Napier.
Many of their former co-stars took to the comments section to offer words of support.
'Love you Rach. You too Sim,' wrote series veteran Michala Banas, while Brett Tucker posted a love heart emoji.
Rachael died on December 7, 2025, following a 'long battle with chronic illness'.
It follows reports that Rachael hid her battle with crippling pain when she appeared on McLeod's Daughters in the early 2000s.
The Australian actress revealed last year she suffered from endometriosis.
Impacting one in seven women, endometriosis occurs when cells in the lining of the uterus are found elsewhere in the body, and symptoms include pain, heavy periods and fatigue.
Rachael's role as the country girl Jodi working on a cattle station was intensely physical, which left her in considerable pain.
The sweet footage captured Rachael enjoying a break between filming as she joked with Simmone that she felt 'strange and nervous' to almost be done with her scenes
Rachael died on December 7, 2025, following a 'long battle with chronic illness'
In 2007, Rachael was nominated for the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress and the biggest award, the Gold Logie
'Getting on and off a horse and riding while you've got full-blown endometriosis is terrible,' Rachael told Stellar Magazine in 2024, adding: '[It's] unbelievably and indescribably painful.'
Rachael went on to explain why she had to keep her condition a secret.
'In 2001, you didn’t announce to a crew of 80 men, ''I’m sorry, I’ve got endometriosis. I feel like I’m being stabbed in the stomach. I’ll need five minutes",' she said.
She said she used ice packs to ease the discomfort and hid surgical scars from abdominal surgery from the wardrobe department.
Rachael's family confirmed the star's tragic death last year, revealing she died 'unexpectedly but peacefully'.
'It is with great sadness that Tony and Gael Carpani announce that their beautiful daughter, beloved Australian actress Rachael Carpani, unexpectedly but peacefully passed away after a long battle with chronic illness,' her parents wrote on social media.
'The family requests privacy at this very difficult time and will be making no further statements,' they added.
In 2007, Rachael was nominated for the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress and the biggest award, the Gold Logie.
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