The most shocking was the news of the day is that Charlotte Chimes will NOT be returning as Nicolette Stone when Neighbours returns on Amazon Freevee later this year.
In an Instagram live this afternoon, roughly late evening Australian time, Charlotte appeared in a Q&A with her mum answering questions from fans who were keen to know if she would reappear as Nicolette on the new series of Neighbours.
Charlotte revealed that producers had asked her to return, though she has decided to move on with her career and the part of Nicolette, Jane Harris’ daughter, will be recast with a new actress taking on the role.
Nicolette had been embroiled in some of the biggest storylines of the last two years; the death of legend Mrs Mangel, the co-parenting agreement with David and Aaron and, of course, the Million Dollar Baby storyline where Paul Robinson chased Nicolette to Canberra to buy back his newborn grandchild. She was also involved in the gripping stolen lottery ticket saga with Audrey Hamilton.
No official announcement has been made by the Neighbours publicity team, and as Instagram lives expire after the host (in this case, Chimes) ends the broadcast, it cannot be watched again unless the host decides to post it.
Fans of Neighbours were quick to pick up on the news and shared it across social media earlier this afternoon.
In a day when several April Fool’s Day announcements were made surrounding the show, it is unclear whether Charlotte was pulling our legs and will indeed be part of the revival. Tradition says you cannot tell April Fool’s jokes after 12pm midday, and that those who do are the fools themselves – so with the evident time difference between the UK and Australia, perhaps Charlotte is telling the truth after all?
It is hoped that more casting news will come to light in the next few weeks as the final performance of the Neighbours Celebration Tour kicks off in Melbourne on 16th April.
[…] talked about the new actress playing Isla being a chatterbox, inadvertently confirming her return. Charlotte Chimes confirmed that she will not be returning to the role of Nicolette, but the character is expected to return, with a new actor in the […]
[…] Chimes who originally played Nicolette from 2020-2022 revealed in April that she would not be returning to the show and that Nicolette would be recast. Hannah Monson has been connected to the show since production began in April after being seen on […]