Natalie Bassingthwaighte has ignited a fierce public debate after revealing she had a romantic relationship with a married man more than three decades her senior when she was just 19 years old — a confession many fans say sounds strikingly similar to the storyline that made her famous on Neighbours.
The former soap star detailed the relationship in her memoir, Love Like This, and expanded on it during a recent appearance on the Inherited podcast, where she spoke candidly about the guilt and emotional fallout the affair produced.
Bassingthwaighte opens up about guilt and grief
Reflecting on the experience, Bassingthwaighte described the relationship as one that left her wrestling deeply with her own sense of integrity. A snippet of the podcast shared on Instagram captured her raw account of events.
"The hardest part was feeling deceitful because I've always felt like that's not who I am as a person to the core," she said. "I just fell in love with a person who told me I was amazing and beautiful and talented and funny."
She said the most painful element was the impact on the man's wife. "The hardest part was her. Knowing that you're doing something to someone else. When she came to me, it was the worst day of my life," Bassingthwaighte said.
In her memoir, she also disclosed that she fell pregnant during the relationship before suffering a miscarriage — an additional layer of heartbreak to an already complicated chapter of her young life.
Fans draw parallels to her Neighbours character Izzy Hoyland
The revelations quickly drew a torrent of responses online, with many observers pointing out the remarkable resemblance between her real-life story and the fictional plotline she portrayed on Neighbours for years.
Bassingthwaighte played Izzy Hoyland on the long-running Australian drama, a character whose affair with the married Dr Karl Kennedy became one of the most talked-about storylines in the show's history. The fictional romance also resulted in a pregnancy, sending shockwaves through Ramsay Street and creating a dramatic love triangle involving Karl and his wife, Susan Kennedy.
The overlap between reality and fiction was not lost on viewers. "Is she talking about her real life or Neighbours? I'm guessing Neighbours but she sounds like she is talking about her real life?" one person wrote online. Another quipped: "She took her job on Neighbours too seriously lol." A third observed: "Oh… so that Neighbours storyline was a bit on the nose then…"
Not all responses were lighthearted. Several commenters were blunt in their criticism of Bassingthwaighte's role in the affair. "Omg. Way to not take accountability," one person wrote, while another added: "Sorry but you betrayed a sister."
Fresh blow from Waitress cancellation
The memoir revelations come at a turbulent time for the Rogue Traders singer, who has also recently been dealing with a significant professional setback. Bassingthwaighte had been cast in the lead role of Jenna in the Australian tour of Waitress the Musical, only for the entire production to be cancelled by promoters ahead of its Sydney run.
Organisers cited cost-of-living pressures and poor box office performance as the reasons behind the abrupt decision. Bassingthwaighte responded publicly on Instagram, calling the cancellation devastating for cast, crew, and the broader arts industry.
"It's been hard to comprehend — the amount of effort that every person in this cast and crew and company have put into this show," she said. "My heart is hurting so much for this industry of ours."
She used the platform to issue a broader plea for support of the performing arts sector. "It's not just musical theatre: it's theatre. It's festivals. It's shows of any kind. The arts is dying in this country, and that hurts my heart beyond anything," she said.
Bassingthwaighte added that performers' passion and dedication "gives humanity reasons to live," calling on audiences and decision-makers alike to invest in keeping the industry alive.
