Her husband was jailed and she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and while parts of 2016 were "horrific" for Roxy Jacenko, she also realised how "lucky" she has it.
"I never imagined that I would face what I did in 2016. Even now I think about it and shake my head in disbelief. Cancer isn't something that had even crossed my mind, and then all of a sudden I was faced with it ... not to mention being the sole parent to Pixie and Hunter," Sydney's PR Queen told Fairfax Media.
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Roxy Jacenko - jail, Oliver and the children
PR queen Roxy Jacenko talks about the impact of her husband Oliver Curtis's jail sentence on family life . Vision: 60 Minutes, Channel Nine.
"In saying that, every day I think about how lucky I am and how much opportunity I have been given, and that keeps me focused."
Jacenko, 36, discovered a lump on her left breast while showering eight days after her husband Oliver Curtis, 31, was sent to prison in June for two years, to be released after one year on good behaviour, for conspiracy to commit insider trading.
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When Pixie, five, and Hunter, two, would ask initially when they would see their father again, she would tell them Christmas: "At the time, it seemed like such a long time away and it was the first major hallmark moment I could think of when I needed to explain when he would be back. It was the first date that came to mind," she said.
But after he lost his appeal to overturn his conviction in December and had to remain in Cooma Correctional Centre for the Holidays instead of returning to their North Bondi penthouse home, she needed a new plan, fearing they were too young to know the truth.
"We avoided making a big fuss over Christmas this year," she said. "In hindsight it was a disaster as trying to avoid every Christmas tree in Sydney isn't easy – so I've now updated the date [for when they will see Curtis] and used my birthday as the date [June 8] – I'll just have to push it out by a few weeks."
As one of Sydney's most high-profile, hard-nosed businesswomen, it's rare to see Jacenko's vulnerable side (even during the trial she copped criticism for what some deemed as flippancy for posting daily selfies of her multi-thousand dollar ensembles from her lift as she made her way to the courthouse).
But the Sweaty Betty and Ministry of Talent entrepreneur was merely putting on a facade for the public, and said she would have "packed up and walked away" if it were not for her immediate family.
"I am very lucky to have the support network around me that I do, my mother especially and my children have kept me sane and smiling. I often say to my friends that if it wasn't for my children that I probably would have packed up and walked away.
"There were days I thought about it seriously, but then you step back and realise that you are so fortunate and whilst it was a horrific time with one blow after another, all played out publicly, I am extremely lucky and everything will pass.
"If anything, [2016] probably made me tougher and has given me clarity on so much within my life," she said.
She jetted to Waikiki, Hawaii a day after Christmas Day with Pixie, Hunter, and her mother Doreen, and has been sharing their travels extensively on Instagram. Pictures of the mother-of-two in a bikini have received the most attention, and she says it's all down to being "very focused on what she eats" and a "new fitness regime".
"Until I was diagnosed with breast cancer I wouldn't go to the doctor unless I was dragged ... You realise without your health you are no good to anyone, especially work – so it was a reality check," she said.
She went against medical advice for a mastectomy and opted instead for an operation to remove the tumour. She finished radiation in September and is now on Tamoxifen tablets (medicine commonly referred to as 'anti-oestrogen'), which she says she will take daily for the next 10 years.
No stranger to making headlines, there will be no stopping Jacenko this year. She wouldn't be drawn on the possibility of a reality TV show or another book, but would say she was most looking forward to Pixie starting school and moving into her new HQ at 7-13 Elizabeth Street, Paddington, which she purchased two years ago.
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