Kym Valentine Is Returning To ‘Neighbours’ For Kennedys’ Anniversary Special
Kym Valentine is returning to “Neighbours” despite suing the show’s producers in 2013. The 36-year-old actor, who is best known for her role as Libby Kennedy in the soap opera, will be back for a three-week guest arc.
Valentine sued FremantleMedia Australia for sex and disability discrimination in July. She claimed in her lawsuit that the company failed to provide a “working environment that was safe,” and that it breached “the relationship of trust and confidence.”
She was seeking compensation for lost wages and for the “pain, hurt, suffering, and humiliation” that she had endured from the producers.
The parties have reached confidential settlement, though, in November. And it seems like everything has been totally forgiven because Valentine is coming back to play the role that made her a household name.
“We had a difference of opinion in relation to Kym’s engagement which has now been amicably resolved. We are all looking forward to Libby Kennedy’s return to Ramsay St in a special guest appearance,” a spokesperson for FreemantleMedia told TV Tonight.
“I’m really looking forward to catching up with old friends at Neighbours as well as getting to know many of the new cast. Playing Libby was a very important part of my life and I can’t wait to reintroduce audiences to her,” Valentine said.
Her guest appearance is part of the plotline celebrating 20 years of the Kennedys on Ramsay Street. Joining Valentine is Felix Mallard, who plays Libby’s son Ben.
Also reprising their roles are Matt Werkmeister and Lucinda Armstrong-Hall as Zeke Kinski and Holly Hoyland respectively.
Valentine played Libby Kennedy, daughter of Karl and Susan Kennedy (Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne) from 1994 to 2004, and again from 2007 to 2009 when she was forced to take a leave of absence after being diagnosed with pneumonia and a collapsed lung.
She had to leave the show again briefly in 2010 due to ill health, but came back in January 2011. However, after a few months, she took indefinite leave to focus on her recuperation.
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