Britney Spears in an episode of Home and Away? At the height of her pop superstardom? It sounds completely far-fetched but one former cast member insists it very nearly happened.
On Hobart’s 100.9 breakfast radio show, Christie Hayes revealed that a Britney cameo on the soap opera was discussed two decades ago.
“I remember, I was so excited,” Hayes said. “When Britney Spears was in the UK, she was a fan of Home and Away. It was never on in America but they said she was a fan of watching Home and Away when she was in England.
When Britney expressed genuine interest on making a cameo, a producer on the show asked the cast if any of them objected to the idea. It turns out that Ray Meagher, who played Alf, thought Britney’s appearance would “ruin the illusion of the show,” but eventually he came around to the cameo.
Hayes revealed that Britney was going to walk past a few Home and Away characters in a short scene. “Hey, what are you doing in Summer Bay?” they were set to ask the singer, to which she’d reply, “It’s just a pretty town.”
Britney was to be credited as “beautiful girl” for the cameo, but Hayes explained that she had to cancel at the last minute “because sadly 9/11 happened.”
Spears actually touched down in Sydney the morning after the U.S. terrorist attacks. She extended her stay in the country due to the U.S. airspace ban, but cancelled her upcoming engagements including the Home and Away cameo and her European tour.
Hayes portrayed Kirsty Phillips on Home and Away from 2000 to 2005 and then again from 2008 to 2009. She later sensationally joined rival soap opera Neighbours in a guest role as Ebony Buttrose in 2019.
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