Cartwright began her acting career at age 5 for television commercials. In 1992, she made her mainstream television debut on an episode of Police Rescue. She has also guest starred in Water Rats and Roar. She won her breakout role and best-known role to date in 1998, portraying Hayley Smith Lawson on Home and Away. Cartwright became a series fan favourite and earned herself numerous Logie Award nominations until 2005. In the same year, Cartwright earned a Most Popular Actress win. She coincidentally fell pregnant within months of her 'Home and Away' character, and then left the series to become a full-time mother. For a short period of time, Ella Scott Lynch replaced her as Hayley before shortly departing the series. In 2002, Cartwright signed a recording contract with Warner Music Australia and East West Records. Her debut single "All Seats Taken" was released 18 November 2002 and peaked at 10 on the ARIA Music Charts. Her follow-up singles "On the Borderline" and "A Matter of Time" both failed to match the same success, both charting only the Top 30. Her self-titled debut album was released on 16 June 2003 and, despite high expectations, charted only at 21 and was certified Gold. The album was met with mixed reviews, with Smash Hits giving the albumtwo out of five stars. In 2004, Cartwright ended her partnership with Warner Music. Cartwright was announced as a contestant in the first season of Dancing with the Stars. She and her partner Michael Miziner won the first season on 23 November 2004. The couple returned in an opening performance in a dance routine during the second-season premiere. She hosted Abba Mania, which premiered in November 2006 on Nine Network. The special was met with controversy surrounding the fact that the only celebrity performers were Nine Network personalities. Hewitt's performance was met with largely negative reviews. In 2018, Hewitt announced her return to television, 13 years since she left Home and Away, with the new Nine Network travel series Helloworld. The series premiered on 7 October with Hewitt hosting in Episode 1 in Queensland – Hamilton Island.
Personal life
Cartwright was born in Sydney on 23 July 1983 the youngest child of Darrel and Michelle Cartwright. She has an older brother Shaun and older sister Kristy. After a four-year relationship with fellow Home and Away co-star Beau Brady, Cartwright and Brady were briefly engaged. Soon after the end of her engagement, Cartwright began a relationship with tennis player and fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt, On 5 May 2005, the couple announced they were expecting their first child. The pair married on 21 July 2005; the wedding was at the Sydney Opera House, and their reception took place at Taronga Zoo. The event attracted much media attention, with Bec and Lleyton selling exclusive coverage of the day to magazine New Idea. Fellow actresses and friends Ada Nicodemou and Kate Ritchie were bridesmaids. Commemorative stubby holders were given as gifts to all guests. On 29 November 2005, Cartwright gave birth to daughter, Mia Rebecca Hewitt, at Sydney's North Shore Private Hospital. Before her birth, a lucrative contract was made with women's magazineWoman's Day involving regular diaries from Bec and exclusive photos and interviews of the family for the first two years of Mia's life. The couple attracted much criticism for the observation that they had effectively "sold" their daughter to the highest bidder. On 11 December 2008, Hewitt gave birth to a baby boy whom the couple named Cruz Lleyton Hewitt. Their third child, a daughter named Ava Sydney Hewitt, was born on 19 October 2010. Her name was announced via a text message subscription service for the cost of $2, a move that attracted much criticism of Bec and Lleyton. Both pregnancy announcements and births were covered in exclusive stories by OK! Magazine. In February 2009, after revelations about Hewitt's previously unknown offshore income and bank accounts were revealed during a legal battle with his former management company, Octagon Sports Marketing, the couple relocated to a $3.8 million home at the Old Fort Bay estate in Nassau, Bahamas.
