Even though it’s been more than a decade since she last played Sally Fletcher, actress Kate Ritchie hasn’t stopped suggesting that her time in Summer Bay isn’t done.
When Kate, 43, was seen enjoying lunch with Home And Away’s Ray Meagher, 77, in Sydney, she sent tongues turning, causing many fans to ask for her return to the programme.
“I believe that Home And Away requires Sally’s return,” one admirer said, while another added, “The programme isn’t the same without you!”
Kate enraged viewers once again last month when she shared an Instagram photo of Sydney’s Palm Beach, where the show has long been filmed.
Kate has made no secret of her wish to return to front of the camera, despite being a hugely successful radio personality on Nova. A source told Woman’s Day last year that she “confessed to feeling like an outsider” in the “guys’ club” that is mainstream radio.
Kate has indicated her wish to return to acting despite being given a substantial salary raise to remain on.
She told the media last year that “the day I step back onto a film set will be a very joyful one,” and that she “will always feel tied to Home And Away.”
“Even today, with some distance between us and the opportunity to grow into my own person without the safety net of Sally, I still pine for those days.”
Kate also admitted earlier this year that she felt “lost” after quitting the long-running drama, where she had portrayed Sally since she was eight years old.
On Anh’s Brush With Fame, she remarked, “She [Sally] gave me purpose and a sense of success.”
“I used to believe that the only time I’d ever done something worthwhile in my life was when I was her.”
Meanwhile, it’s been nearly four decades since Kylie Minogue played the fiery yet endearing Charlene Robinson on Neighbours.
And now there’s a rumour that the Australian pop diva may be returning to Ramsay Street.
An insider tells Woman’s Day that a return to the soap has been on the 53-year-mind old’s since she announced she will be returning to Melbourne after more than 30 years in the UK.
“She’s very receptive to the idea. Charlene belongs in the past, she’s claimed, but given the appropriate circumstances – and the right figure – she’d consider it “according to the source
The show’s producers would be “chomping at the bit” to have Kylie back on board, according to the insider, despite the show’s low ratings.
Since being shifted to 10 Peach in 2011, the drama has failed to restore audience, to the point where Ten has removed the Friday night broadcast, reducing the serial to four nights a week.
The allegations follow Neighbours veteran Alan Fletcher’s suggestion that Kylie would return to her old haunts, stating she might “make a cameo for the 40th anniversary special.”
Alan, 64, recalls, “She’s always shown thanks and affection for Neighbours.”
Fans may also expect a reunion with Kylie and her onscreen husband Jason Donovan, according to the actor, who has showed interest in returning. Jason’s character Scott Robinson married Charlene in one of the most viewed weddings in Australian television history.
“Getting those two back onto Ramsay Street together would be ratings gold,” our source adds.
“Can you picture seeing Charlene and Scott again after all these years?”
In 2018, Kylie dipped her toe into the Neighbours universe by summoning her ex-boyfriend Jason, 53, on stage to sing their song “Especially For You.”
And it’s not like she’d need a costume if she came back.
For a Tourism Australia campaign in 2019, Kylie wore a curly Charlene wig and slid back into her famed grease-stained overalls, which she admitted to pocketing.
“I can tell you that the overalls from the shoot were retained. They were quite comfortable! “She was ecstatic at the time.
