Olympia Valance, a fan favorite on Neighbours, is returning to Erinsborough as the show comes to an end.
After 37 years on our television screens, it was announced two months ago that Neighbours would be ending. Faces from the past, including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, have expressed interest in making cameo appearances in the final episodes to commemorate the soap’s conclusion.
Valance will reprise her role as Paige Smith (a character she first played in 2014) in July, according to a press release, and the series finale will be an “epic double episode” on Monday, August 1.
“Neighbours has always felt like home to me. It was my first acting job, and it taught me so much,” Olympia said in a statement. “There is a reason why everyone refers to Neighbours as the best training ground in the TV.”
Between appearances on Neighbours, the 29-year-old has starred in Australian television shows such as Dancing with the Stars (where she shared a season with RuPaul’s Drag Race star Courtney Act) and the drama Playing for Keeps.
“We are happy to have Olympia join us for the celebrations,” said Jason Herbison, executive producer on the soap. “She is a much-loved cast member and character, and always brings a tremendous enthusiasm to the set.”
When the show was canceled in March, Herbison pledged that as the last twist, he would not set Ramsay Street on fire.
“Ramsay Street is eternal and I like to think it will live on in the hearts and minds of the viewers, long after the final scene. I would never, ever blow it up,” he said.
“The ending will be a celebration of the past and the present, with the door very much left open for a future.”
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