Neighbours star Ian Smith is set to return to the Australian soap scene for one final time before the show ends for good this year – but what about his life away from the cameras?
The nation is watching Neighbours to see what it does with the character of Harold Bishop as the Australian soap opera gets ready to welcome veteran actor Ian Smith back to its ranks.
Before becoming one of the show’s longest-serving actors, Ian was only supposed to play Harold in a few episodes when he created the role in 1987.
After periodically appearing and disappearing, he finally left for good in 2011. Now, he has been officially confirmed for the August 2022 finale episode, leaving fans eager to find out what he will get up to.
What about Ian’s actual life, though? The Daily Star looks at everything from an adoption twist that is as dramatic as Ramsay Street to a heartbreaking tragedy that is particularly close to home.
Adoption hell
At the ripe old age of 54, Ian discovered that his mother was not at all his biological mother and that he had actually been adopted.
The celebrity found out that Peg Kline, his birth mother, became pregnant with him when she was just 13 years old.
Only 24 hours before she tragically went away did he learn the truth about his birth when his adoptive mother Connie revealed it to him.
After Ian went in search of his biological mother, Sponsored by Taboola Peg, who is also now deceased, confessed to ABC the details of Ian’s birth, saying: “When I was 13 – it was in 1938 – and I was a very foolish, uneducated 13-year-old…
Parents were unwilling to discuss sex or other topics of that nature. It was this 26-year-old man who was supposed to be a family friend. And he acted improperly.
Depression battle
Ian said to Daily Mail Australia in 2017 that he was “taking too much medication” and wasn’t really being affected by “the black hound” after discovering the truth about who he truly was.
I have essentially been living a lie for 54 years, he said. I didn’t know who I was, so I couldn’t even look in the mirror.
The celebrity sought counselling to treat the illness, and as a result of his experiences, he wrote a memoir.
“I genuinely think seven out of ten males would experience some kind of depression,” he continued.
Men are generally illiterate; they won’t investigate these matters. However, it is a blessing that more and more athletes, particularly football players, are speaking out about issues like depression in the media.
Family life
Although Ian was able to come to know his adoptive mother Peg and his two half-brothers at the time, both of his moms tragically passed away within years of him learning the truth.
He acknowledged, nevertheless, that he did not experience a mother-son tie, and instead described his birth mother as one of his “best friends.”
Sadly, Connie lost away in 1992, and Peg passed away from cancer in 2005.
Ian is wed to Gail, and the two of them have a number of children and grandchildren together.
‘Bullied’ by kids
It hasn’t always been simple for Ian to be recognised as his character Harold over the years, he says.
While out and about, he found himself the unlucky target of a group of kids who called him names and admitted that celebrity can be “ugly.”
Some of the bullies even threw beer at the seasoned performer in the street.
In 2008, he offered this explanation: “The recognition I get can be nasty. When they notice me, they hunt in packs, laugh, point, occasionally throw lager, and yell insults.
“I despise it to the core. By semi-retiring and just returning for a short time every four months, I become a little less recognisable and, hopefully, am no longer the target of the horrendous abuse I’ve experienced.
Slamming soap
Ian confessed he wished he had left the show earlier and regretted his decision to leave Neighbours because he was afraid of being typecast.
The celebrity proceeded to an entirely different role’s audition and was told, “Oh, you were Harold. You could not be a murderous child molester.
Later, he stormed into the producer’s office for Neighbours and declared that he no longer wanted to play Harold. He said, “I just wish I’d taken the decision sooner,” to Studio 10.
Despite the problems the show caused him, Ian obviously didn’t want Neighbours to be cancelled permanently because he even pleaded with the Australian government to intervene and overturn the decision.
He told Courier Mail: “I think the Australian government should have bought it, put it on the ABC and used it as a living, working school for actors, writers and cameramen and put it to air as such.”
- Home and Away Emmett star JR Reyne’s life – famous parents, hit music and soap comeback
- Home and Away Spoilers – Logan saved as Millie reveals the truth
Wedding bells! Home and Away star Sam Frost confirms her engagement to her new boyfriend Jordie Hansen after just FIVE months of dating
You know they belong together: Meet the cast of Home And Away’s real-life partners
How Sam Frost and Survivor star Jordie Hansen went from unexpected couple to relationship goals
Home and Away: Sam Frost stars in travel series My Road to Adventure
Home and Away’s star Luke Van Os reveals cousin and Thor star Chris Hemsworth has been a ‘huge support’
