Much-loved Neighbours star Lucinda Cowden has confirmed that she is leaving her role as Melanie Pearson, but it wasn’t her decision.
Cowden, who has played Melanie Pearson since 1987 told NeighBens fan podcast, it was “a bitter old pill to swallow”.
“I’m off, it’s true,” she said. “I’m sorry. I can’t do anything about it, it wasn’t my bloody decision. But yeah, Mel’s off in her truck and doesn’t have any plans to return immediately.”
She added that “it’s been a year of a lot of goodbyes”, as the hosts referenced other recent character departures including Toadie Rebecchi, Mackenzie Hargreaves and Haz Devkar.
Cowden explained that “all the contracts come up at the same time because we were all employed at the same time”, adding that she has known about Melanie’s impending departure since last December.
“I don’t think they knew what to do with Mel without Toad, or without the family and all of that stuff,” she said. “That’s maybe… I don’t know, I’m second guessing. And you just make up all this stuff in your head anyway to make yourself feel better.”
But Cowden will also join the soap’s 40th-anniversary tour in the UK next February.
Source: Digital Spy
links to content on ABC
TV Tonight
