Melissa Bell on her return to Neighbours, plastic surgery and why she won’t let her kids on TV

As she returns to Neighbours for its 35th anniversary, Aussie TV star Melissa Bell has revealed what she doesn’t want her kids to do and her private struggle as a young actor.

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Exclusive: Despite having a very long and successful career on Australian TV, Melissa Bell has said she doesn’t want any of her kids to be actors.

Bell, who is returning to the show as part of its 35th anniversary, told News Corp she will be reprising her role as Lucy Robinson once again for a month.

While she has let her children watch past episodes of her on the show as she was growing up, she said

“I wouldn’t want it for my kids,” she said.

“They can go to uni and get a real job. The money wasn’t that great when we started out, you have to really prove yourself … but luckily none of my kids are interested in being on TV.”

Bell recalled how she struggled with her own imperfections as she was young and in the limelight, which led to her getting plastic surgery procedures over two decades which included breast augmentation, liposuction and Botox.

Contrary to reports she said she did not spend as much as $100,000 on cosmetic surgery, which she started in her twenties.

“Once I started it was like a trap,” she said.

Australian actress Melissa Bell from Neighbours. She is re-appearing on the show this year as part of their 35th anniversary. Picture: Supplied

“You start changing things and you have to keep going with it otherwise there are more medical issues and there can be complications and that was something I didn’t think about.

“I’ve grown and dealt with it and now I’m more comfortable with things.”

Bell said if her children wanted to get plastic surgery, it was up to them.

“I say to my children it is your body, your free will and your right to do it, I’m not going to say ‘don’t go and do it’,” she said.

“It’s a very personal thing.”

Bell, who has found love again with Gold Coast financial strategist and father-of-two Grant Thompson, said she still misses her late husband Gary Dickinson who died in 2016 after having a major heart attack which left him in a coma for 93 days.

“It was a life changing event and it will stay with me, I miss him and I think of him and sometimes I just celebrate him by talking about him,” she said.

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Melissa Bell when she starred as Lucy Robinson in Neighbours. Picture: Supplied

She also warned Neighbours fans her comeback to the popular Australian TV soap has a storyline that “cannot be topped”.

While she remained tight-lipped on what she’d be doing, she said she is bringing her life experience to the show.

“The writers really know the character, and the show moves at such a fast pace, we shoot back-to-back scenes as if we are shooting a feature film every week,” she said.

“Life has taught me a lot of lessons and I look at how I can implement that in my work.”

Bell said her time back on Ramsay St with Bruce Samazan, who is also making a comeback, was exciting.

“He’s such a fun guy and I’ve always got on really well with him,” she said.

“It was great, we just clicked back into working together.”

As for the future, Bell said she’d be keen to do more reality TV after being part of Celebrity Overhaul in 2005.

“I love reality TV, I think as a person I have good life experience and it’s relatable and I’d definitely be up for it,” she said.

Originally published as Melissa Bell on her return to Neighbours, plastic surgery and why she won’t let her kids on TV