Actress Simone Buchanan will return to Neighbours as Samantha Fitzgerald after 10 YEAR absence – as she reveals why acting became ‘tainted’ for her
Actress Simone Buchanan will return to Neighbours as Samantha Fitzgerald after a 10-year hiatus from the soap.
On Sunday, the 52-year-old star said she had previously been hesitant to return to the spotlight due to some negative experiences in the industry.
The former Hey Dad! star began acting when was eight, but has not had a single role since she left Neighbours in 2010.
‘I will always come back for Sam!’ Simone Buchanan will return to Neighbours as Samantha Fitzgerald after 10 years away from the show despite acting being ‘tainted’ for her. She is pictured with her sons Zane and Remy
‘There are aspects of the industry that have changed, not necessarily for the better,’ Simone told Sunday Confidential.
‘I’ve seen the not-so-great aspects of this industry and when you go through something like that, it taints the whole experience for you.’
Despite her negative experiences, Simone decided to return to acting for her iconic Neighbours character.
‘I love the character of Samantha. She is one of the most favourite characters I have ever played, so I will always come back for Sam,’ she said.
Simone’s character: Lawyer Samantha ‘Sam’ Fitzgerald (pictured) initially appeared on Neighbours in 2008, during which time she married Daniel Fitzgerald and suffered a bipolar disorder triggered by a miscarriage
Lawyer Samantha ‘Sam’ Fitzgerald initially appeared on Neighbours in 2008, during which time she married Daniel Fitzgerald and suffered a bipolar disorder triggered by a miscarriage.
She left the show at the end of the year but returned in 2010 as the lead prosecutor in Stephanie Scully’s culpable driving trial.
Since leaving the show, Simone has had a son Remy, eight, who she shares with husband Brett Smith. She also has another son Tane, 20, from a previous relationship.
All together now: Simone is a mother to two sons, Tane, 20, from a previous relationship, and Remy, eight (centre) who she shares with her husband Brett Smith (right)
In January, Simone revealed how she missed out on her big break in Hollywood.
‘I got a phone call from a really big producer over there who was casting for a big film,’ she told The Daily Telegraph.
‘He had just watched Shame and offered me the lead role in a big Hollywood film. But they wouldn’t let me out of my contract for Hey Dad! so I didn’t end up going.’
Although she never landed that big break and stayed home, Simone says she ‘never really felt the urge to chase it and then I had a family’.
Experienced: The former Hey Dad! star has been acting since she was eight years old but has not been active since she left Neighbours in 2010. She is pictured during the 1990s