While Neighbours is famed for launching the careers of megastars like Margot Robbie and Russell Crowe, many former residents of Ramsay Street have taken unexpected paths. From paramedics to war reporters, here are some of the most surprising post-Neighbours career changes.
Patrick Connor, who played a regular on the show, was fired for 'negligence and misconduct' after battling an amphetamine problem. He successfully sued for wrongful dismissal, winning £130,000 in damages. He later appeared in Australian TV drama City Homicide and horror film Wolf Creek 2.
Ben Falzon, a floppy-haired heart-throb from the 1990s, worked as a paramedic in Alice Springs and is managing director of Earth Sanctuary, an eco-tourism and astronomy business. He also once uploaded a YouTube video where an alien welcomes viewers to the Galactic Federation of Light.
Kristian Schmid, whose character was killed off at the height of her popularity, struggled with fame but retrained as a teacher. She was pictured outside a Sydney school in 2017, having left acting behind.
Alan Dale is the exception, having appeared in countless prestige dramas like Lost, 24, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier as a threatening authority figure. Meanwhile, Craig McLachlan had a No 2 UK hit with 'Mona' but faced assault charges in 2018; he was acquitted in 2020 but has not acted since.
Perhaps the most unusual story is that of Emily Ritters, who joined Neighbours at age eight and left at 15. After touring with the British Shakespeare Company and working as a receptionist, she became a journalist. Since 2015, she has lived in Berlin, reporting for Deutsche Welle, most recently covering the war in Ukraine.
