Who did Margot Robbie play in Neighbours? Character explained
Margot Robbie is on her way back to Ramsay Street.
Now, this is one soap comeback we never expected to see! Hollywood A-lister Margot Robbie is returning to her roots as she makes her comeback to the Australian soap opera Neighbours ahead of its grand finale.
The news of Robbie's return was confirmed by the soap a week ahead of the final episode as she joins the likes of other returning stars such as Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue, Holly Valance, Guy Pearce and Natalie Imbruglia.
So, just in case you need reminding, here is all you need to know about Margot Robbie's time on Neighbours and her character.
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Who did Margot Robbie play in Neighbours?
Margot Robbie portrayed Donna Freedman in Neighbours.
The character was introduced as an outsider and obsessive fan of musician Ty Harper (Dean Geyer) before she went on to become friends with Ramsay Street regulars Rachel Kinski (Caitlin Stasey) and Bridget Parker (Eloise Mignon) and enrolled at Erinsborough High.
Donna soon found a love interest in Ringo Brown (Sam Clark) and they began dating, having an on-off romance with each other throughout their times on the show.
Despite initially living with her father Matt Freedman (Benjamin Mitchell), a hit-and-run storyline that saw Donna knock over Nicola West (Imogen Bailey) culminated in Matt's exit as he tried to frame Lucas Fitzgerald (Scott Major) for Donna's crime.
After this, Donna was cared for by Elle Robinson (Pippa Black) who became her legal guardian.
For a time, Donna was also joined on Ramsay Street by her scheming mother Cassandra Freeman (Tottie Goldsmith) and siblings Simon (Mauricio Merino, Jr.) and Tegan (Chelsea Jones).
Donna later learned from Cassandra that Matt wasn't her biological father and a running storyline saw her try to get to the truth about who was, eventually meeting him in the form of a restaurant owner, Nick Nixon (Brian Vriends).
After the death of Bridget and the departure of Rachel, Donna became close to Kate Ramsay (Ashleigh Brewer).
After cheating on Ringo with Elle's half-brother Andrew Robinson (Jordan Patrick Smith), Donna is dumped by Ringo and he briefly flees Ramsay Street.
Later, Donna finds herself becoming a target of Ringo's new girlfriend, Naomi (Kate Bell).
We also followed Donna as she pursued her dreams of being a fashion designer, clashing with established fashion designer Saffron Jankievicz (Shanyn Asmar).
After a near-death experience involving sabotaged scaffolding, Donna has to have life-saving surgery on her spleen. Amidst this health battle, Donna and Ringo reconcile and become engaged.
After various hitches, Donna and Ringo get married and plan to move to the United States of America together.
Donna moves in with the Kennedys to be with Ringo ahead of their planned move, but tragedy strikes one month after the wedding as Ringo is run down and killed by Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner) on her motorbike, after pushing Kate out of the way.
Initially blaming Kate, she soon forgives her and even forgives Steph, telling the court at Steph's trial that she should not go to prison. Regardless, Steph is sent to prison for Ringo's death.
When was Margot Robbie in Neighbours?
Margot Robbie made her first appearance on Neighbours on 2nd June 2008.
The 17-year-old Australian actress was cast as the schoolgirl Donna Freedman in a guest capacity but was swiftly promoted to the main cast of the soap opera.
The character remained in the show until 26th January 2011, meaning she was in the show for just shy of two years.
How did Margot Robbie leave Neighbours?
Margot Robbie confirmed in September 2010 that she had decided not to renew her contract at Neighbours and left with ambitions to continue her career in Hollywood.
"I want to go to America; it’s always been my goal to work in Hollywood. It’s the one stage in my life where I have absolutely nothing holding me down," she said in a statement at the time.
She added: "I have plenty of friends over there so I’ll have plenty of couches to crash on."
Little did she know just how successful she would be!
Donna Freedman departed Ramsay Street in January 2011 when she discovered that her late husband Ringo had applied for her at a New York design school and she was accepted.
After this, Donna departed for New York with her biological father Nick in tow to help her in her first few weeks in the States.
When does Margot Robbie return to Neighbours?
Margot Robbie will reprise her role as Donna Freedman on Friday 29th July 2022.
The character is back for the final episode, but the nature of her return will be kept under wraps until the airing.
Donna was mentioned a week prior to a return by Elle Robinson as she discussed meeting up with her in New York, where both characters reside.
Looking for Neighbours' merch? Look no further than TruffleShuffle.com!
Neighbours' final episode premieres on Friday 29th July at 9pm, followed by Neighbours: What Happened Next? at 10:05pm and Neighbours: The Stars' Greatest Hits at 11:30pm on Channel 5. Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.
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