The inside story of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan's eventful 35-year relationship
18 July 2022, 16:38 | Updated: 25 July 2022, 14:28
Are Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan still friends? What was their relationship like and why did they split up? Here's what we know...
Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan are set to reunite onscreen for the final episode of the long-running Australian soap, Neighbours.
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The show is set to close its doors for the final time after 37 years when Channel 5 decided to stop broadcasting it in the UK and funding for the show dried up.
‘Now we’re back together’ @neighbours pic.twitter.com/fFoo2ndIfx
— Kylie Minogue (@kylieminogue) July 11, 2022
The final episode – number 8,903 – will see a plethora of familiar faces appear on Ramsay Street for the very last time.
"Everyone at Neighbours has been overwhelmed by the love and support from the audience since the news came out," the show's producers said in a statement.
"The show has brought a sunny slice of Australia into the homes of millions of viewers around the world launching the careers of dozens of household names along the way.
"But as this chapter of Ramsay Street comes to a close, we promise to do everything we can to give the show the send-off it deserves."
Among old familiar faces, two of the show's most famous break-out stars, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, will return to the show as their beloved characters Scott and Charlene and are even re-releasing their classic 'Especially For You' on cassette and vinyl for the occasion.
In pictures posted on social media, Kyle and Jason can be seen embracing on the Erinsborough set, from scenes set to be shown on the series' very last episode.
The storyline for the pair is under wraps, but their on-screen chemistry and off-screen love have captured the world for decades – so just what happened during Kylie and Jason's famous romance and have they remained friends since?
Read on to find out...
When did Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan date?
Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan met on the set of Neighbours in April 1986 when an 18-year-old Kylie Minogue was introduced to the show as the character Charlene Mitchell, the daughter of Erinsborough favourite, Madge Ramsay.
Jason Donovan's character Scott Robinson soon became besotted by Charlene and the pair started dating, before a nasty car accident Scott was involved in took their relationship to the next level and he proposed to her in June 1987.
Watch Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan's first Neighbours scene in 1986 below:
Kylie Minogue - Neighbours, Charlene's first episode - 1986
Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan - Especially For You
Scott and Charlene got married in July 1987, in what many dubbed 'the wedding of the year' – 20 million people in the UK tuned in to watch them wed – and it was during this time that Kylie and Jason fell in love and started dating in real life.
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A year after their idyllic on-screen marriage the pair released the smash-hit single 'Especially For You', confirming their romance to the world and taking their crowns as pop's young sweethearts.
The pair were madly in love and dated for around three years before the cracks started to appear in their relationship.
Why did Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan break up?
The pair officially split in 1989, when Kylie Minogue famously started a relationship with INXS rocker, Michael Hutchence.
Jason Donovan stayed quiet on the controversial break-up for decades, until an interview in 2016 revealed it was hard to take that Kylie had left him for “the greatest rock god of the period.”
"It was an extremely painful parting of the ways and, without doubt, I took a long time to recover from it," Jason told the Mirror.
"Years, definitely. It was bad enough that she'd run off with anybody, but she happened to run into the arms of the greatest rock god of the period, the very guy who I secretly wanted to be. That was a pretty big punch to take."
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"I've since bumped into Kylie quite a few times," Jason added. "The break-up never comes up in conversation. We're not close enough to get into that."
Have Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan stayed friends?
Jason Donovan gave another interview to the Daily Mail confirming that he and Kylie were no longer close.
When the interviewer asked in 2008 if he was in touch with his former girlfriend, Jason replied: 'No, not a lot. All that was 20 years ago. We live in different worlds now.
"But I have the utmost respect for her and I sent her a note when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And she replied.
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"If she walked into the room now, we'd hug each other. We're old mates with a lot of shared history."
Kylie and Jason reunited for a one-off concert in the O2 arena celebrating Stock Aitken Waterman in 2012.
'Hit Factory Live' saw the pair sing 'Especially For You' in front of an enraptured audience - the first time the pair had performed together in decades.
Kylie & Jason - Especially For You - The O2 - Hits Factory Live - 21-Dec-2012
Then in 2018, when Kylie was on stage at a concert in Hyde Park, fans were treated to a mind-blowing moment of nostalgia when she invited Jason Donovan on stage to dance with her as she sang their 1988 duet, 'Especially For You'.
However, Jason was nowhere to be seen a year later when Kylie made her long-awaited debut in the 'Legends' slot at Glastonbury – the most watched performance in the festival’s history.
The superstar invited other singers on stage such as Chris Martin and Nick Cave, but Donovan was noticeably absent when she sang 'Especially For You'.
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When asked about the apparent snub in an appearance on The One Show, Jason awkwardly responded: "I was available. I would have flown in."
When will Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan reunite on Neighbours?
Fans of Kylie and Jason went wild when the 'Spinning Around' singer posted a picture of her and Jason on the set of Neighbours last week (July 11).
Captioning the post 'Now we’re back together' - a quote from their famous song – the pair can be seen embracing as they film their final scenes for Neighbours.
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Show producer Jason Herbison announced the return of their characters, Charlene Mitchell and Scott Robinson, in a message on Twitter.
He tweeted, "Scott and Charlene are the ultimate Neighbours couple and it would not feel right to end the show without them.
"We are thrilled that Jason and Kylie have come home to play a very special part in our series finale.
"It has been an emotional experience for them, for us and I'm sure it will be for our viewers."
The last episode of the soap was due to air on August 1, but has been pushed back and is set to show on July 29, 2022. Watch this space.
