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Reference > Erinsborough News > Annie Steps Out Of Character

The wedding bells are ringing again in Ramsay Street.

Jane Harris, played by the delightful Annie Jones, is the next Neighbours star due to make that long walk down the aisle with her on-screen sweetheart, rich American businessman Mark Granger (Colin Handley), who lavishes Jane with diamonds and sweeps her off her feet.

“It is a bit of a cliffhanger,” Annie adds, hinting that the path to the altar might have a few twists.

And is there a chance that her on-screen marriage plans mirror anything personal in the life of the 21-year-old star? Annie and her boyfriend have been together for four years. He was there during the lean years as she struggled to make it in the cut-throat acting industry, and he is still there now she is one of the country’s most popular young stars.

“We have been together a long time and the relationship is important to me, but there are no marriage plans,” Annie says. And she is keeping the identity of the man in her life a secret – at his request.

“He is involved in the television industry behind the scenes, but not with Neighbours,” is the most Annie will reveal.

Annie is contracted to the enormously popular Neighbours until July, but she has not yet decided whether she will sign on for another year. After three years with Neighbours, she feels she might like to follow a different acting path, especially films.

“It is a long time to be doing the same show and I am keen to do other things,” she says. “I’ve signed until July, but I want to see how I feel around that time before I make a firm decision. At this stage I haven’t decided either way. It is impossible to consider any other offers that might come along, because of the enormous commitment involved. You really do become tied to the show.”

But Annie is not ungrateful for what Neighbours has done for her. She continues to enjoy the program and still get a buzz out of the fact that it remains very popular.

“It is good, clean entertainment and what happens in the show are things that could happen to people anywhere,” she says. “I love the acting profession. It is my life and my ambition is to stay in work for as long as I can. I’d wanted to be an actress from an early age.”

It was in England at a recent Royal Command performance that Annie appeared on stage for the first time, but she admits she is “not terribly keen” on live theatre.

“Actually it terrifies me, but I should do it. It is a fear I should get over,” she says. “If the opportunity came along I would do it, but I’m not desperate. I’m much more comfortable in front of a camera.”

So if the right part came up in a film, Annie says she would jump at the chance.

This article originally appeared in New Idea magazine, dated January 28th 1989, and was written by Bill Ayres

Article submitted by Steve