Jason Donovan on ‘first love’ Kylie Minogue: ‘It’s a very difficult relationship to escape’

As he embarks on his Doin’ Fine 25 tour, marking nearly 40 years in music, Jason Donovan has shared how being “competitive” of then-girlfriend Kylie Minogue’s fame fuelled his initial pursuit of pop success.

Donovan describes his Neighbours co-star Minogue as his “first love” in this week’s Big Issue, out today (17 February).

“Was [Kylie] my first love? Probably,” Donovan reflects. “And it was not an easy break-up. She and I were connected personally and professionally, it’s a very difficult relationship to escape. And not only that, we were in everyone’s living room across the world. It’s quite a unique position.”

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Donovan dated Minogue for three years from 1986, when they were playing on-screen sweethearts Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell in Australian soap Neighbours. After they left the show, the couple duetted on single “Especially for You”, which hit number one in the UK Charts in 1988.

Reflecting as part of Big Issue’s ‘Letter to My Younger Self’ series, Jason Donovan admits that feeling “jealous” of Minogue’s success with singing made him want “some of what she was getting”.

“When she got approached to record, I was competitive. I could see her having this opportunity. I’d always sung, but never really sort of taken it that seriously. But I wanted some of what she was getting! I was jealous I suppose. Then those opportunities started to flesh out for me as well.

“I’ve still got so much respect and time and admiration for her as a person, and I think she would recognise the same in me. But our lives went in different ways.”

Jason Donovan went on to have the best-selling album of 1989 and four UK number one singles. But his fame came with its challenges, including becoming a regular cocaine user in the 90s.

“I didn’t drink until my mid-30s,” he tells the Big Issue. “When dad [actor Scott Donovan, also of Neighbours fame] would drink, he would change. And I didn’t like that side of my dad. So I opted for smoking weed. And I think to suggest that one thing doesn’t lead to another is a little naïve.”

I was earning a lot of money at that time. And I’d worked extremely hard. I was ready to party. And that’s the bottom line. It just sort of took hold. And I think ultimately, during what I call a very selfish period in the 90s, it was a kickback from that Peter Pan image that I had of myself.”

Donovan previously wrote in his autobiography that his drug use worsened after a high-profile libel action against British magazine The Face, which claimed he was homosexual in 1992.

Reflecting on the lawsuit, which created a backlash of people accusing him of being homophobic, Jason Donovan tells the Big Issue: “The decision to sue is one I made and I have to ultimately take responsibility for it. My intentions were good. I was against the concept of outing people.

“It’s up to the individuals how they want to play out their sexuality, it’s a very personal decision. And The Face was suggesting I was lying about myself. I wasn’t. That’s the facts. It was never about sexuality. I was brought up in a very multicultural, multi-sexual environment.”

Read the full interview with Jason Donovan in this week’s Big Issue, out now. Find your local vendor to buy a copy or subscribe online.

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