Neighbours star Jodi Anasta, who plays Elly Conway on the hit Aussie soap, has peeled back the curtain and given fans a behind-the-scenes sneak peek at what her character’s departure from the show will look like.
Ramsay Street is set to experience a shocking shake up this year with Elly’s exit, after Jodi confirmed she would be leaving the show in 2020, after four years.
Elly’s departure from the show will be “brutal”, Jodi says.
(Image: Network Ten)While Elly’s fate was completely in the hands of the Neighbours writing team, Jodi was over the moon with the end result.
“I don’t have any say in the way I exit the show, but I’m very, very happy with my exit. It will be next level brutal. I can’t believe I get to do this on television,” Jodi told The Herald Sun.
Reflecting upon her tenure at Neighbours, Jodi says Elly has taught her some important life lessons.
“I feel through the arc of my character I’ve learned a lot about myself through watching her make good and poor choices,” Jodi told the publication.
“As my daughter would say: ‘Is that good choice, mummy, or is that a poor choice?’
“It’s all about living and learning and understanding yourself, and what you’re capable of, and what your fears are.”
Jodi says her controversial character Elly has taught her some important life lessons.
(Image: Network Ten)Last month, Jodi announced her departure from Neighbours on Instagram, explaining that she was looking forward to spending time with her five-year-old daughter, Aleeia, who she shares with ex-husband Braith Anasta.
“Farewell my Neighbours Family!! It’s been an incredible 4 years with you guys, everyone from crew to production, cleaners to chefs to cast … you make this show what it is and I’m incredibly grateful to have been part of it for so long,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside a series of photos of herself and her castmates.
“Now it’s time for me to move on to the next adventure. More importantly in the interim it’s time for me to move back to Sydney to be with my beautiful daughter, Aleeia.”
Jodi pictured with her Neighbours co-stars Jackie Woodburne, Alan Fletcher and Bonnie Anderson.
(Image: Instagram)During her stint on Neighbours, Jodi balanced her time between Melbourne, where the show is filmed, and Sydney, where Aleeia’s father Braith lives.
“She’s in Melbourne for majority of the week so she comes back and it’s been like that for a long time, it’s pretty stock standard,” Braith told Now To Love last year.
“We’ve got that balance. It’s pretty standard, we just make sure that Aleeia’s got routine and has as good an upbringing as we possibly can.”
Jodi and her daughter Aleeia.
(Image: Instagram)But Jodi’s time on the show hasn’t been all smooth-sailing. A friend previously told Woman’s Day that the star had been struggling while “burning the candle at both ends”, before needing a three-week break from the show.
“She’s really emotional and has walked off set crying a number of times just over little things and out of frustration,” confirmed one co-star, who said the cast and crew of Neighbours have been concerned about her wellbeing for weeks.
“She shows up exhausted after late-night partying and has been forgetting her lines. We’ve all been worried about her. I really do believe she’s going through a bit of a personal crisis at the moment.”
Network Ten confirmed her temporary departure at the time.
“Jodi is taking some time out to rest, we look forward to having her back on set soon,” a spokesman said.
Jodi temporarily left Neighbours last year.
(Image: Getty Images)However, Jodi insisted to The Daily Telegraph that her departure from Neighbours had nothing to do with that incident, telling the publication: “It is completely unrelated.”
She added: “At the moment I am feeling happier, healthier and better than ever and just excited about change, a fresh new opportunity or discovering something else.”
Her manager Sean Anderson said she was simply “exhausted”.
WATCH BELOW: Jodi Anasta talks about juggling parenting and her job on Neighbours. Story continues after video.
As for what is next for Jodi, she sas 2020 is going to be full of “risk-taking, change, positivity and new directions.”
“I’m going to let myself feel joyous about that. I’m open to future possibilities, rather than close myself off in gloom and doom,” she told The Herald Sun.
“I want to have full-time role with Aleeia, doing the lunch boxes and drops off and story times.
“With change, there comes a bit of fear, but with that, there’s the excitement of challenge. That’s what I’m feeling. There will be projects I want to develop as a woman, as a mother, and as a businesswoman.”
