Neighbours star pregnant with SEVENTH child as she shows off massive baby bump
A STAR from Neighbours is pregnant with her SEVENTH child as she showed off her massive baby bump.
Madeline West made her first appearance on the Australian soap back in 2000 in the role of Dee Bliss.
The 45-year-old actress shares six kids with her ex-partner, MasterChef Australia regular, Shannon Bennett.
Together, they co-parent Phoenix, 19, Hendrix, 16, Xascha, 14, Xanthe, 12, and twins Xalia and Margaux, 10.
The pair got together in 2005 before Madeleine split up with the celebrity chef for good in 2018.
But the Neighbours personality took to her social media profile as she revealed her exciting news.
Her growing baby bump was visible as she posted a crop top selfie on Instagram.
In the captions she wrote: “WHOOPS!
“Thought it was #perimenopause I thought WRONG! It’s not too much Christmas pudding either. And I couldn’t be happier.”
However, she admitted she wasn’t exactly pleased with the title of ‘Geriatric mum’.
“Not too sure about the title ‘Geriatric mum’ but here we are, and I’m winding back a little to grow this little surprise package I’ve dubbed #007 (Baby number 7, couldn’t help myself).
“I don’t have much more to say right now, but I’ve noticed I don’t hear much about older parents. I know you must be out there. Just seems we are invisible.”
She added: “So if you’re expecting later than expected, and tackling early #parenthood in your 40s or 50s, I’d LOVE hear your stories.
“I’d love any tips you care to share. Like how the heck do you get all the #baby paraphernalia together again after you’ve given it all away????
“There’s a terrifying new world of contraptions out there and I don’t know where to start!! HELP!!!”
Neighbours stars who made it big
The long-running Aussie soap has launched the careers of some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Here are some of the Neighbours alums who went on to make it big after starring on the soap...
Kylie Minogue
- Before she hit the big time with her music career, Kylie shot to fame playing Charlene Mitchell on Neighbours. Shortly after her arrival, Kylie began an on and off-screen romance with co-star Jason Donovan, who played Scott Robinson, which gained the couple an army of adoring fans.
Jason Donovan
- After his stint as Scott, singer and actor Jason became an international popstar and had his pick acting of roles. He moved to the U.K., married, had children and has since starred in over a dozen West End show, most notably Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Alan Dale
- New Zealand born actor Alan was one of Neighbours 12 original cast members having made his debut as Jim Robinson on the soap’s first episode on 18 March 1985. As the head of the Robinson clan, widower Jim lived at Number 26 Ramsay Street with his children Paul, Julie, Scott and Lucy, and was a real anchor in the community. He stayed with the show for eight years, before his character was killed off in dramatic scenes aired in 1993 but which still reverberate through the soap to this day.
Margot Robbie
- Way before she was Barbie or Harley Quinn, Margot was best known as Ramsay Street resident Donna Freedman. Her notable storylines included her marriage to Ringo Brown and becoming a young widow following his tragic death. After three years she bid farewell to the soap and Australia with a plan to make a name for herself in Hollywood which she did when she bagged the role of Naomi Lapaglia opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Jesse Spencer
- Jesse rocked up on Ramsay street in 1994 with the rest of the Kennedy clan. He stayed for five years, literally growing up in front of the camera, but in 2000 felt it was time to spread his wings and head for Hollywood. It was certainly a smart move as he went on to bag leading roles in popular shows like House and Chicago Fire.
Russell Crowe
- New Zealand-native Russell had a brief arc on Neighbours, appearing in four episodes of the soap 1987 as Kenny Larkin, the former cellmate of Street resident Henry Ramsay. The role obviously got him noticed though because he quickly went on to become a fully-fledged Hollywood A-lister, winning the Best Actor Oscar for his standout performance as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator.
Although her first character was thought to have been killed off in a car crash back in 2003, Madeline made a huge comeback to the show in 2020 in her original role of Dee as she confronted the ghosts of her past.
But before this, the actress also played the role of Andrea Somers, a con-artist who impersonated Dee in a scam.