Margot Robbie says she's "eternally grateful" to Neighbours

"There are so many of us that owe them for giving us a big break."

Oscar-nominated movie star Margot Robbie has thanked the show that started off her career — the now-finished Australian soap Neighbours.

Robbie played the role of Donna Freedman from 2008 to 2011 and returned to the role for the soap's last ever episode on July 28. Now, Robbie has spoken about how much she owes to the iconic show in a new interview with The Sun.

"I owe so much to Neighbours. There are so many of us that owe them for giving us a big break," Robbie said.

"It wasn't just about giving me a break either — it gave me a real chance to work on my craft. It was the perfect training for Hollywood, and I will always be eternally grateful."

Robbie is one of a number of actors who have appeared on Neighbours and gone on to have incredible film and TV careers. Chris Hemsworth, Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Natalie Imbruglia, amongst others, all appeared on the Australian soap. Pearce, Minogue and Donovan all returned for the show's finale alongside Robbie (who appeared via video message).

After appearing in Neighbours, Robbie went on to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. Since then, she has starred in some of the industry's biggest movies and has become Hollywood's highest-paid actress.

She starred as Harley Quinn in several DC movies including The Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey and later earned an Oscar nomination for best actress in 2018 for I, Tonya. She was also nominated for best supporting actress in Bombshell in 2020.

She produced both of those movies and continues to produce more projects, including the Oscar-winning Promising Young Woman. Meanwhile, she will next be seen in the hotly-anticipated movie Barbie alongside Ryan Gosling.

Neighbours has now come to an end, but catch-up episodes are available via My 5 (UK) and 10 Play (Australia).