CAREER SHAKEUP
Hollyoaks actress lands new job AWAY from soap after being killed off – as a backing singer for huge popstar on tour
She has a very famous father, too
A HOLLYOAKS actress has landed a huge new job AWAY from the soap after being brutally killed off.
The former Hollyoaks star has made a huge career U-turn and is now a backing singer for a huge popstar on a massive tour.
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Jemma Donavon, daughter of Jason Donavon, is one of two backing singers for Gary Barlow’s tour.
She was killed off as Rayne Royce on Hollyoaks after just a year - and before that she was on Neighbours.
The British-Australian actress, 25, who has been in a relationship with Owen Warner since 2023, has been spotted on-stage with Gary on his Songbook Tour.
Introducing his fans to his band in an Instagram post a couple of weeks ago, Gary revealed Jemma was a backing singer on his tour.
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"Bringing the age group down," Gary said before introducing his backing singers, the hitmaker then walked over to Jemma and fellow backing singer Sophie.
Fans have since been raving about Jemma and her beautiful singing voice on social media since seeing her perform with Gary.
One person shared a snap on Instagram of Gary at the piano and Jemma holding a mic on stage.
They wrote in the caption: "Love how @officialgarybarlow is so kind and encouraging of his singers like @jemma_donovan.
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"He made sure her microphone was turned right up so we could all hear her, and she was fabulous."
Meanwhile, a fan on X shared a video from the night and wrote: "The finale @GaryBarlow!
Hollyoaks Stars Owen Warner and Jemma Donovan's Sun-Soaked Family Holiday
"A huge shout out to Jason Donovan’s daughter Jemma who was fabulous as a backing singer."
Nepo-baby Jemma grew up in London but relocated to Australia in 2018.
Jemma relocated to her father's home country so she could audition for Aussie soap operas.
She then went to several auditions arranged by her father's agent, including an audition for Home and Away.
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.
Her final audition was for the long-running soap opera Neighbours.
Jemma's father, grandfather, and aunt had all previously starred in it.
She originally auditioned for the role of Roxy Willis, but due to her not being right for the role, it went to Zima Anderson.
Producers later created a character that was ideal for Jemma.
Jemma landed the role of the character of Harlow Robinson.
When she joined the soap, Harlow's plot resembled Jemma's own move from England to Australia.
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After her stint in the Aussie soap, Jemma came back to the UK and made her first appearance in Hollyoaks in 2023.
She first starred in the soap in January 2023, but nine months later it was announced that the character would be murdered as part of a whodunit storyline with her exit coming shortly after.
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