If you looked at Madeleine West and her Instagram five years ago, you would have easily presumed that she had the perfect life. She lived in a fabulous house in Melbourne with her partner, a famous celebrity chef, and her six children.

She was often on our TV screens in Neighbours, Satisfaction, and Playing For Keeps. She practiced yoga and drank green smoothies. And then one day, Madeleine decided to blow it all up.

In fact, you might say she hit restart.

Madeleine spoke with Mia Freedman onMamamia's No Filterpodcast this week, opening up about the major life shift she experienced: and how she coped with it.

Listen to the full interview with Madeleine West on No Filter: The day Madeleine West hit restart on her life. Post continues after audio.

Madeleine West felt the pressure of achieving a 'work-life balance'.

When asked by Mia Freedman whether six kids was always the plan, Madeleine was quick to note it definitely wasn't.

"No, definitely no! I don't regret any of them. But sometimes the universe looks down at you and says 'Oh you think you have your life together? Let me throw this at you'. I remember realising I was pregnant once and thinking can I do this? But then I thought about the memories of those kids, the heart flutter, and I knew it was right for me."

When Madeleine first started having children, it began to impact her career.

"At the time it was absolutely impossible to have a career in the entertainment industry and still have small children and balance them both. That environment was not conducive to motherhood. The 16-hour days, the requirements: you can't go into a contract meeting and say I need to work school pickup hours."

Madeleine said on No Filter, she started to experience feelings of guilt after realising her career was a non-negotiable to her.

She didn't necessarily have to work for a financial reason. Rather it was about being creatively fulfilled.

"There was guilt on so many levels. Anyone who is balancing work life and family life can appreciate feeling guilty no matter what they do: not being properly invested in one specific area. It felt like I wasn't giving 100 per cent anywhere. I lost myself," Madeleine shared.

Now that some of her kids are a bit older and with help, Madeleine has been able to find a better work/life balance:not perfectbut better.

"I've reached a point where my kids are a lot more independent and that allows me a new degree of autonomy and allows me to pursue my career," she said in a recent interview.

Logistically, the six kids split their time between Melbourne and Byron Bay.

"When I have my kids for my half of the time: they are my only focus. I won't let anything else in. It's just us and it's great. They need security and consistency."

The separation that catalysed Madeleine West's restart.

In 2018, things looked rather perfect for Madeleine: her curated Instagram feed, public profile, and her now ex-partner and six children, ranging in age from two to 11.

But while surrounded by beautiful people, beautiful houses and beautiful things, something didn't feel right.

"I had become a performer. I was acting in my own life. I was so used to being a strong woman who had big dreams and realised I wasn't living those big dreams anymore."

Of course Madeleine's outer life looked nothing like what she was experiencing on the inside.

"Perfection is a lie that we're fed. I was like a duck in a pond: it may look serene and calm above water, but underneath I was paddling like crazy. The legs were going a million miles an hour. Getting up at 5am, doing yoga, getting the kids ready for school, making breakfast and lunches all while trying to look and be perfect. I started to feel like a fraud."