Neighbours stars confirm exits for Mackenzie and Haz

 It comes after a surprise wedding!

Neighbours stars Georgie Stone and Shiv Palekar have confirmed their exits as Mackenzie Hargreaves and Haz Devkar, with their final scenes coming later this month.

The pair, who joined the Australian soap in 2019 and 2023 respectively, will exit the show after their characters elect for a new life in Paris following their wedding.

In a newsletter for the soap, the pair spoke about their time on the show, with Stone remarking: “As cliché as it sounds, I will miss the people the most. I have met so many lifelong friends on that set, and I will miss seeing them all every day. It is a very special place.

“I will also miss Mackenzie - I was 19 when I first played her, and it was such a pleasure to play her the last 5 years. Mackenzie never compromised her integrity. With all the trauma she experienced - losing her mum and her husband, almost dying like 4 times! - I’m surprised she never went off the rails.

“But Mackenzie always held on to her empathy, her kindness and her strong sense of justice. I think that is incredibly inspiring!” she continued, with Palekar adding: “I'll miss everything, the wonderful cast, the incredible crew, the great storylines.

“The early starts, the late finishes, literally everything - I wouldn't take anything back or change anything. It's been such a wonderful experience and I'll miss all of it. I'll especially miss the sharehouse gang - we really got close during filming, and it hurt to say goodbye.

“I've learnt from Haz that the pursuit of goodness and redemption is not an easy road, but it's possible. Everyone makes mistakes, but they're also deserving of a second chance. Haz wears his heart on his sleeve and I'd like to do some more of that in my life - it's a vulnerable thing to do and it doesn't always go well, but I feel like Haz is true to himself despite it all!”

The duo also offered their thoughts on Mackenzie and Haz’s big day, with Stone sharing: “I was definitely surprised by the engagement! Mack already got married at a young age so I was not expecting her to do it again only a few years later.

“But I think after everything she has been through Mack wants to hold on tight to what she has. Also, I did ask the producers to give Mackenzie a happy ending, and a wedding is such a classic Neighbours happy ending!”

“Haz was over the moon to see his parents show up,” added Palekar. “He was heartbroken at first when he found out that they weren't actually going to show up. They still have a lot to work through but I think coming to the wedding is an amazing first step for their future as a family.

“I think a wonderful life awaits them [Mackenzie and Haz] - they're going to love living in Paris. Mack is definitely going to pull big moves at the UN and Haz will no doubt have a great run in cybersecurity, it's mighty lucrative for an ex-hacker!”