Perth-born actress Melissa George has opened up about the death of her former Home and Away co-star Dieter Brummer, describing it as “devastation beyond comprehension” in a recent interview.
George Reflects on Brummer's Tragic Death
George, now 49, joined the Australian soap opera at age 16, playing Angel Parrish. Her character married Brummer’s Shane Parrish, creating one of the show’s most beloved couples. Brummer, who also appeared on Neighbours, died by suicide on July 24, 2021, in Sydney at age 45.
In an interview with Stellar podcast Something To Talk About, George revealed she still watches Home and Away despite leaving the series three decades ago. “I do watch often because obviously Dieter’s no longer with us, which is just a devastation beyond comprehension,” she told host Sarrah Le Marquand.
“That’s just too many years of him suffering that was overlooked. It really breaks my heart because he was a beautiful man. It’s very sad.” George added that she has kept silent on the matter, saying, “I’m not one to step out or make comments that people are gonna use for years to come. I’ve already done that and suffered the consequences. But I sort of kept silent.”
Revisiting Iconic Scenes
George said the pair’s on-screen romance was everything. “Shane and Angel was everything. I did rewatch the scene when he passed away on the rock on the beach – the final scene of Shane – and it was absolutely heartbreaking.”
She credited her time on Home and Away as the “best training ever, really,” which launched her career into other TV shows and films, including 30 Days of Night and The Mosquito Coast.
Life After Home and Away
George moved to Los Angeles at 20 but now lives in France, raising her two-year-old son Lyor. She also shares two older sons with her ex, French entrepreneur Jean-David Blanc. Her latest project is the Binge series Ms X, premiering Tuesday, where she plays a suburban mother entangled in Auckland’s crime world.
Filming in New Zealand kept her from returning to Australia, but her family visited. “I wasn’t allowed because I was the lead, but my family came over. My mother visited because I’d just had baby Lyor [in March 2024], so she got to see her grandson,” she told Le Marquand.
Living in France presents challenges, such as “living in a country where you’re not from; doing the French admin and taking care of children in a foreign country,” George said. She noted it wasn’t her choice to live there, but France’s custody laws require her sons to remain in the country after her 2016 split.
Soccer Fandom and Future Plans
Being in Europe keeps George closer to soccer action. She even bought a house in Buenos Aires because of Argentinian star Lionel Messi. “I’m a huge soccer fan. My friends this morning, doing my hair and make-up, they’re like, ‘You like soccer?’ I’m like, ‘Guys, I got a place in Buenos Aires, because Messi has his club right down the street from my house.’ I love it so much,” she said.
Despite living worldwide, George hopes to one day spend more time in Sydney or Melbourne.
