Neighbours actor slams show for caving into ‘cancel culture’ by snubbing him for final episodes

NEIGHBOURS star Craig McLachlan says he is devastated that cancel culture has seen him barred from the final episodes of the Aussie soap.

The actor, who played hunky Henry Ramsay from 1987 to 1989, reckons he was shunned due to sexual assault charges which he was cleared of two years ago.

Craig, 56, can only watch as screen sister Charlene, played by Kylie Minogue, 54, and step-father Harold Bishop, played by Ian Smith, 84, appear in the big send off without him.

Even Henry’s late mother, Madge, played by Anne Charleston, 79, has a cameo as a ghost.

A spokeswoman for the actor said: “Henry’s dead mother is being reincarnated for the final episode — but cancel culture won’t allow her son Henry to appear or even be acknowledged.

“What Craig and his partner have endured over the past four-and-a-half years — only to come out the other side and be confronted by, among other things, the attempted permanent erasing of his part in Neighbours history — is devastating.”

The final episode airs tomorrow night on Channel 5 and sees Kylie lead a host of stars who shot to fame on the soap.

They include her former screen hubby Jason Donovan, 54, Margot Robbie, 32, and .

Craig’s spokeswoman said: “Craig was not invited to take part in the closing episode or indeed to contribute in any way to the end of Neighbours.

"Henry was, and continues to be, an all-time Neighbours favourite, a character Craig loves to this day. Craig happily and enthusiastically contributed to a number of Neighbours celebratory milestones over the years and was always so thrilled to be invited to partake.”

When Jason’s character Scott Robinson and Kylie’s Charlene got married, an episode which got a whopping 20million viewers in the UK in 1988, Henry walked his sister down the aisle.

In 2020, the father-of-one, whose partner is opera conductor Vanessa Scammell, was cleared in Australia of seven charges of assault and indecent assault on four women dating back to 2014 when he was in Australian production of The Rocky Horror Show.

Two months ago he abandoned a case against several media organisations who had reported on the initial allegations, as well as one of the original complainants.

He said: “I cannot continue to place my family under that strain, and my own mental health will not withstand the continuing pressure.”

Neighbours representatives were contacted by The Sun but declined to comment.