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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Jessica Gibb

Why '90s bombshell Kimberley Davies was noticeably absent from the Neighbours finale

Neighbours finished with a bang last night as the soap's favourite characters reunited to bid the Australian soap farewell.

Superstars including Kylie Minogue and Margot Robbie returned for the iconic soap's finale which aired on Friday night in an hour-long special after 37 years on our screens.

But one of the soaps favourite character's was noticeably absent from the celebration.

Kimberley Davies, who played Annalise Hartman from 1993 to 1996 - and for a brief stint in 2005 to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary - didn't return for the finale leaving fans wondering why.

Actress Kimberley Davies played bombshell Annalise in Neighbours (BBC)
She has since moved away from the spotlight (WireImage)

According to Private Sydney, the ’90s bombshell "politely declined offers to partake in the Neighbours nostalgia".

Instead the 49-year-old is said to be focused on her life away from the limelight - running her Melbourne decorating business and raising her three children Isabella, Josh, and Ashton with her model-turned-doctor husband Jason Harvey.

Meanwhile, fans of the Australian soap think they have worked out why Kylie Minogue barely spoke in her cameo in the show's last ever episode.

Fan favourites such as Harold Bishop, second right, and Hollywood star Guy Pearce, centre, returned (PA)

Kylie, 54, played Charlene Robinson between 1986 and 1988 and was the main character in one of the most-viewed weddings in soap history.

A staggering 19.8 million UK viewers tuned in to watch Charlene tie the knot with Scott Robinson, played by Jason Donovan, in November 1988.

The duo have had lasting success in the UK since leaving the Australian soap but they revealed earlier this year that they would return to the place where it all began for Neighbours' final hurrah.

Former cast members including Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue appeared in scenes (Channel 5)

As they arrived on the street in the final episode, Especially for You - their duet as Kylie and Jason - was heard playing on the radio. And when they stopped and pulled up, they remarked on all the for sale signs on the houses.

Declaring they're home, Scott leaned in to kiss Charlene on the head in a sweet moment.

"Wow wow wow," Scott said as they stepped out of the car, "This is crazy. We made it eh?"

Charlene then declares: "Home sweet home."

However, Charlene's only other audible word in the cameo appearance was when she exclaimed "Harold!" after seeing fan favourite Harold Bishop and Neighbours fans thought they knew the reasons why.

One person wrote on Twitter : "Was Kylie's fee per word too high or did she not have much time to rehearse? She barely spoke!"

Another quipped: "Kylie Minogue definitely got paid by the word there didn’t she" followed by a crying laughing emoji.

A third fan said: "Wondering how much Kylie Charged per word for them to literally give her two words to say the whole episode."

A fourth viewer commented: "Kylie is clearly far too famous to be expected to learn any lines."

The soap came to an emotional conclusion (Freemantle)

Neighbours has been a hugely popular show in the UK since its inception in 1985 but it was confirmed earlier this year that the soap would come to an end this summer.

This was due to Channel 5 was dropping the show from its line-up to "focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama", despite the programme being the fourth-most watched soap in the UK.

That meant the Australian soap lost a large source of its funding and had "no option but to rest the show" after 8,891 episodes.

Neighbours: The Finale saw a host of familiar faces in Hollywood and to the Ramsay Street faithful.

Hollywood stars Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie and singers Delta Goodrem, Holly Valance and Natalie Imbruglia returned to Erinsborough one last time alongside fan favourites from across the show's 37-year history such as Libby Kennedy and Stephanie Scully.

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at webcelebs@mirror.co.uk or call us direct 0207 29 33033.

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