Australian cricketer Ellyse Perry: ‘I feel self-doubt every day’

She may be one of the country’s most recognisable – and bankable – athletes and the country’s most capped female cricket player but Ellyse Perry says her “self-worth is forever in flux”.

Diane Keaton. Beyoncé. Jane Fonda. Ellyse Perry is in good (and very select) company as she continues to prove her mettle and stay at the forefront of her chosen profession.

Last month, the 31-year-old became this country’s most capped female cricket player, and the first Australian cricketer of any gender to claim 300 wickets and score 5000 runs at an international level.

As one of the country’s most recognisable – and bankable – athletes, Perry has now joined Keaton, Beyoncé and Fonda in a select group of international stars who have been tapped as a L’Oréal Woman of Worth as part of the cosmetic and beauty company’s signature female-first campaign.

Yet while Perry may embody L’Oréal’s famous “because you’re worth it” slogan (which has been used for 50 years, after it was coined by a 21-year-old copywriter in 1971), the sports star says she second-guesses herself, just like everyone else.

“I feel self-doubt every day, be it at training, in a match or in a social situation,” she tells Stellar On Friday.

Ellyse Perry on the pitfalls of a sporting career. (Picture: Andre Castellucci)

“I think we all go through some form of [it].” In fact, recent research commissioned by the beauty brand found that 94 per cent of Australian women experience low self-esteem, and 73 per cent feel self-doubt every week.

“[My] self-worth is forever in flux,” Perry says. “I think it changes as you get older and view the world – and yourself – differently. It’s always evolving.

The things that bothered me as a teenager and in my early 20s don’t matter as much now.

“Life is about navigating challenges,” she adds. “And I don’t think this is a bad thing – the experience of learning more about yourself.”

While the cricketer knows there’s no magic bullet for these low moments, she says she tackles them by taking a deep breath and thinking of the people she loves, even though her all-consuming career means they often go for long stretches without seeing or hearing from one another.

“Guilt is my biggest stumbling block,” says Perry, who was shot for Stellar On Friday (pictured) in Adelaide earlier this month, as she promoted the brand’s True Match Nude Tinted Serum.

“At times, I feel I’m not being a good enough family member or friend because sport is an inherently selfish job; I’m often focused on myself.

“I try to repay them by doing my best and that’s what I focus on,” she adds. “It’s something I’m conscious of and constantly working on. I just try to keep perspective.”

For more Stellar exclusives, pick up a copy inside this weekend’s The Sunday Telegraph (NSW), Sunday Herald Sun (Victoria), The Sunday Mail (Queensland) and Sunday Mail (SA).