Singer and actress Kylie Minogue has paid tribute to beloved Aussie soap 'Neighbours' following the news of its axing after 37 years. The 'Wow' hitmaker will "be forever grateful" to long-running soap that launched her career after she joined in 1986 as Charlene Mitchell. The 53-year-old pop star wrote on Twitter: "I'll be forever grateful for the experience the friends I made on @neighbours. We had no idea how big the show would become and how passionately viewers would take it to heart. Pure love! I can still hear Madge calling... CHARLENE!!!!"
Highlights of Kylie's stint on the soap - which also began the careers of many Hollywood heavyweights such as Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe - include her character's 1987 wedding to Scott Robinson, played by Jason Donovan. This comes after Channel 5 - the biggest funder of the programme, which airs on Channel 10 in Australia - announced that they would no longer air the show, instead focus on"original UK drama", news confirmed by Fremantle, the soap's production company.
A spokesperson said: "It is with sadness that after nearly 37 years and almost 9,000 episodes broadcast, we are confirming that 'Neighbours' will cease production in the summer."
"Following the loss of a key broadcast partner in the UK, and despite a search for alternative funding, we currently have no option but to rest the show. "Everyone at 'Neighbours' has been overwhelmed by the love and support from the audience since the news came out.
"But as this chapter of Ramsay Street comes to a close, we promise to do everything we can to give the show the send-off it deserves."
Bang Showbiz
