After starring in many high-profile US TV series, actress Melissa George has made a new life for herself in Paris following her departure from the Australian serial opera Home and Away.
Melissa George was the girl that every fan of Home and Away aspired to be when she first appeared on TV as teenage runaway Angel Parrish.
Prior to becoming one of the greatest stars on the soap opera due to her on-screen romance with Dieter Brummer’s character Shane Parrish, the actress joined the long-running Australian serial opera in 1993. She went on to receive seven nominations for Logie Awards, which provided her with a platform to begin her career in Hollywood.
Moving to Los Angeles in 1997 was a risk that paid off, as Melissa (now 47) was cast in popular television shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Friends, Hunted, The Good Wife, and The Slap, among others. Away from the cameras, though, the celebrity has had some heartbreaking low points in addition to incredible highs.
Millionaire inventor
Hemming My Way is a plastic gadget that Melissa and her business partner Kara Harshbarger invented back in 2010 to stop their long trousers from dragging on the streets of New York. Kara at the time gave the following explanation of the necessity for the device: “One day, over coffee, Melissa discussed her concept for an invention.
“She was irritated by a common issue faced by all ladies after visiting New York City: her long hem dragging on the city’s pavements. 2008 brought us this: enough is enough! We thus thought, drank more coffee, thought some more, felt jittery, and wondered whether we were crazy. What did we know about inventing?”
The invention turned out to be a hit, bringing in millions of dollars for Melissa through sales on QVC and Amazon. She once declared to Live magazine, “I’m an actress, but I’m also a multimillionaire inventor.” I invented something a few years ago that lets ladies change their hemlines. In the last ten months, the product has generated $15 million in revenue.”
I currently have three patents. I am unable to discuss the other two since they are very confidential. My next goal is to develop retail locations where you can come in with your problems and get them fixed.
“You name it: from getting your ears pricked to getting a new button put on your clothing. You will have support from someone if you have broken up with your girlfriend. Your heart will be healed and your pants will be fixed simultaneously by my stores.”
Savage swipe at Home and Away
Hollywood icons like Heath Ledger and Margot Robbie were made famous by the serial opera, but Melissa took offence when Australia’s The Morning Show called her a “Home and Away actress.” She roared back: “My next call will be to Home and Away to ask them to pay me because nobody does more promotion for that f***ing show than me.”
Later, she disparaged the program and her home nation, claiming she had more important things to accomplish than to care about what people in her own country thought of her. “I only need them all to stay silent; I no longer need their credibility from my nation.
Melissa told Melbourne’s Herald Sun, “Please don’t speak to me anymore if they have nothing intelligent to say.” “I would much rather be strolling with my French bulldog in New York City or enjoying a croissant and a small cappuccino in Paris.”
‘I’ve never spoken out about it because I have to be the faithful, good Aussie who goes overseas and returns home,’ she continued. However, I’m a really dedicated lady, and I deserve appreciation for the job I’ve done.”
But in 2018, Melissa came clean and said that she could be amenable to returning to Summer Bay. “They have made an offer, but I’m not sure,” she said to the Daily Telegraph in Australia. “[Being associated with the show] is a hard thing to shake, and at one point I tried to shake it, but there is no point.”
Dieter Brummer feud
Dieter begged the filmmakers to kill off his character in order to avoid the conflict between him and Melissa, even if their chemistry sparkled on screen. “We may have been love interests on the show, but the chemistry was far from real,” he said to Woman’s Day.
Mel had great ambition from the beginning. She may have wished to follow in Kylie Minogue’s footsteps. She was a huge fan of Kylie and wanted to be as successful as her. She probably didn’t have much time for the Home and Away cast.”
Additionally, he called her criticism of the program “unnecessary and a bit ridiculous,” saying, “But then that’s Mel.” Later on in the Home and Award special, Endless Summer, Melissa said, “We were under a lot of pressure.” In public, we had to seem like the cutest, most adorable couple.”
Ray Meagher, who portrays Alf Stewart alongside them, continued, saying, “I’m not sure that they got on personally 100%, 100% of the time.” Dieter killed himself and was sadly discovered dead at his house in the middle of 2021. He was just 45 years old.
With his acting career coming to an end, he had grown more reclusive, and his friends, who were devastated by his loss, publicly expressed their belief that he “wasnt going to be on this earth for long.” When Dieter initially joined the team of 2010’s Underbelly: The Golden Mile, he was cast as a corrupt police detective. According to a staff member, they received a “strong impression he had demons” from their first meeting.
Divorce that left her broke
After being married to Claudio Dabed, a Chilean furniture designer and film director, from 2000 until 2011, Melissa had two boys, Raphael, who is seven years old, and Solal, who is five years old, with French businessman Jean David Blanc. She said that after a gruelling five-year marriage ended in 2016, she was left destitute and had to sell her possessions.
She stated to Stella magazine in 2020, “I was left with nothing. I then said, “Well, what do you have?” I own exquisite jewels and high-end clothing. And I recently sold everything. I refused to accept a job because I didn’t want to be away from my children. After all is said and done, you realise exactly what you need. Believe me.”
New baby
Melissa, who is currently working in Paris, said her “heart is so full” after welcoming a baby boy in March of this year. The mother-of-three revealed her new arrival on social media by posting a cute black-and-white image of her newborn’s feet. She hasn’t revealed who the father is.
“Welcome to the world, my little man,” she said. Love has no bounds. a mother of three boys. Not believing it. My heart is overflowing with love.” Among the many messages sent to the 47-year-old was one that said, “Congrats, I’m so happy for you!!!” “Congratulations, amazing news xxxx,” said another. “Mum of three boys here too – it’s the best club in the world!” said a different commenter.
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