Natalie Bassingthwaighte has revealed that turning down a returning gig as a judge on The X Factor to go back to acting was a huge gamble – but one she is so glad she did.

“At the end of last year, I felt like I needed to shift,” Nat said of her decision to quit as a mentor on Channel Seven singing show The X Factor.

“I needed something else in my life as far as my career went, so I started getting back into acting.”

After going to several auditions, she landed the role of Julie Bamford in Channel Ten’s upcoming telemovie Brock, about racing legend Peter Brock.

“For years, it’s all been about other people,” she said. “Now I feel like I get to go back to me. I feel like I’ve come back into my own … to be the artist is exhilarating.”

Acting isn’t the only thing she has on the go – she also runs a children’s clothing line, which is expanding day by day.

“The kids keep me busy too. My daughter Harper is five-and-a-bit and starts school next year, which is incredibly daunting. My son (Hendrix) is two-and-a-half and just divine.”