Neighbours star returning to acting 35 years after quitting Aussie soap in new role alongside Kym Marsh
The former X factor judge and singer, 53, is starring in glamorous Channel 5 drama Imposter opposite ex- Corrie actress Kym Marsh, 49.
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Dannii, younger sister to pop icon Kylie, 57, has already started filming the four part series in Victoria, Australia.
The Succession-like plot centres around a twisted family betrayal and a murder and is set in a seaside family hotel.
This is also with Neighbours 'Susan Kennedy' icon Jackie Woodburne, 69, starring as the matriarch.
A source said: "Bosses have spent weeks trying to get Dannii and she finally put pen to paper just days before filming started.
"It's been decades since she's acted on the small screen and everyone at the channel is over the moon that she was able to make the dates work because she loved the script.
"She started filming last week after meeting her fellow cast members."
Dannii portrayed the troubled teen Emma Jackson on Home and Away from 1989 to 1990.
She currently presents the LGBTQ BBC dating shows, I Kissed a Boy and I Kissed a Girl.
The source continued: "Dannii has been wanting a return to acting for a long time but hadn't found the right role.
"But then Channel 5 came along with Imposter and she instantly knew the role would be perfect for her acting comeback."
They added: "Her character will be one of the suspects in the murder, as the family all fight it out over the family empire.
"From what's been filmed of her performance already bosses really couldn't be happier to have got Dannii signed up."
Channel 5's thrilling new drama, Imposter will hit our screens in 2026.
Neighbours stars who made it big
The long-running Aussie soap has launched the careers of some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Here are some of the Neighbours alums who went on to make it big after starring on the soap...
Kylie Minogue
Before she hit the big time with her music career, Kylie shot to fame playing Charlene Mitchell on Neighbours. Shortly after her arrival, Kylie began an on and off-screen romance with co-star Jason Donovan, who played Scott Robinson, which gained the couple an army of adoring fans.
Jason Donovan
After his stint as Scott, singer and actor Jason became an international popstar and had his pick acting of roles. He moved to the U.K., married, had children and has since starred in over a dozen West End show, most notably Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Alan Dale
New Zealand born actor Alan was one of Neighbours 12 original cast members having made his debut as Jim Robinson on the soap's first episode on 18 March 1985. As the head of the Robinson clan, widower Jim lived at Number 26 Ramsay Street with his children Paul, Julie, Scott and Lucy, and was a real anchor in the community. He stayed with the show for eight years, before his character was killed off in dramatic scenes aired in 1993 but which still reverberate through the soap to this day.
Margot Robbie
Way before she was Barbie or Harley Quinn, Margot was best known as Ramsay Street resident Donna Freedman. Her notable storylines included her marriage to Ringo Brown and becoming a young widow following his tragic death. After three years she bid farewell to the soap and Australia with a plan to make a name for herself in Hollywood which she did when she bagged the role of Naomi Lapaglia opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Jesse Spencer
Jesse rocked up on Ramsay street in 1994 with the rest of the Kennedy clan. He stayed for five years, literally growing up in front of the camera, but in 2000 felt it was time to spread his wings and head for Hollywood. It was certainly a smart move as he went on to bag leading roles in popular shows like House and Chicago Fire.
Russell Crowe
New Zealand-native Russell had a brief arc on Neighbours, appearing in four episodes of the soap 1987 as Kenny Larkin, the former cellmate of Street resident Henry Ramsay. The role obviously got him noticed though because he quickly went on to become a fully-fledged Hollywood A-lister, winning the Best Actor Oscar for his standout performance as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator.
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