Natalie Bassingthwaighte has ignited a wave of public criticism after revealing she had a romantic relationship with a married man when she was just 19 years old — a confession that has prompted many to draw uncanny parallels with the soap opera role that made her famous.

The former Neighbours actress shared the deeply personal story in her memoir, Love Like This, and elaborated on it during a recent appearance on the Inherited podcast. The man in question was more than three decades her senior, and Bassingthwaighte has spoken candidly about the guilt and emotional turmoil the relationship caused her.

Bassingthwaighte opens up on guilt and heartbreak

In comments shared via a podcast clip posted to Instagram, Bassingthwaighte reflected on the emotional weight of the affair, describing the difficulty of knowing she was causing pain to another person.

"The hardest part was feeling deceitful because I've always felt like that's not who I am as a person to the core," she said. "I just fell in love with a person who told me I was amazing and beautiful and talented and funny. The hardest part was her [the wife]. Knowing that you're doing something to someone else. When she came to me, it was the worst day of my life."

In her memoir, Bassingthwaighte also disclosed that she fell pregnant during the relationship and later suffered a miscarriage — a painful detail that added further depth to an already raw account.

Fans stunned by similarities to her Neighbours character Izzy Hoyland

The revelation has not been received without controversy. Many observers were quick to note just how closely Bassingthwaighte's real-life story mirrors the plotline of her most iconic TV role. For years, she played Izzy Hoyland on Neighbours, a character whose affair with the married Karl Kennedy became one of Australian television's most talked-about soap storylines. That fictional romance also involved a pregnancy, sending shockwaves through Ramsay Street and creating a dramatic love triangle with Karl's wife, Susan Kennedy.

The parallels were not lost on the public. Social media responses ranged from disbelief to sharp criticism.

  • "Is she talking about her real life or Neighbours? I'm guessing Neighbours but she sounds like she is talking about her real life?" one person wrote.
  • "She took her job on Neighbours too seriously lol," added another.
  • "Oh… so that Neighbours storyline was a bit on the nose then…" a third commented.
  • "Omg. Way to not take accountability," said another critic.
  • "Sorry but you betrayed a sister," wrote one more.

The response underscores just how strongly audiences still associate Bassingthwaighte with the Izzy Hoyland character, even years after her time on the long-running series.

A difficult year: Waitress cancellation adds to personal turmoil

The podcast appearance came at an already difficult period for Bassingthwaighte, who also addressed the sudden cancellation of the Australian tour of Waitress the Musical, in which she had been cast in the lead role of Jenna. Promoters pulled the plug on the entire tour ahead of its Sydney run, citing cost-of-living pressures and weak box office results.

"It's been hard to comprehend — the amount of effort that every person in this cast and crew and company have put into this show. It's devastating that it comes to an end so abruptly," she said in a video posted to her Instagram Stories.

Bassingthwaighte used the moment to sound a broader alarm about the state of the performing arts in Australia. "It's not just musical theatre: it's theatre. It's festivals. It's shows of any kind. The arts is dying in this country, and that hurts my heart beyond anything," she said, urging her followers to support the industry.

As her memoir continues to generate headlines, Bassingthwaighte appears to be navigating both personal reckoning and professional heartbreak in equal measure.