Why I came back”
Delta tells TV WEEK about her Ramsay Street return, Mark and her new album.
Speaking candidly to TV WEEK, Delta Goodrem reveals that it was always important to her to tie up her storylines as Nina Tucker – having been forced in July last year to take a sudden break from Neighbours while she underwent treatment for Hodgkin’s disease, a curable form of cancer.
“It was so special going back onto the set,” she enthuses. “I couldn’t wait to go back. I was so excited."
“I really felt that Nina and myself had a lot of unfinished business there,” Delta adds. “It was great to get back and be around my friends and my castmates. It was beautiful.”
Certainly, Delta has only good memories of her time on Neighbours. “I look at that time in such a positive light,” she says. “To be a part of it again was just great.”
Did it feel strange returning to the set after all these months away and with everything that has happened in her life?
“It did feel a little different,” she says. “But it was so wonderful. Jay Bunyan (Jack) was great and everyone was wonderful. I still mucked up my lines a few times, like normal,” she laughs.
“Of course, I can’t wait to see the episodes to see how they worked. I did feel a little bit rusty but, at the same time, I was really happy that Nina was a lot more assured of herself and not so timid and vulnerable.
“She’s taken control of her life and I think that was a really nice development.”
Asked how she is feeling now, the beautiful star is happy to give us a good report. “I’m feeling really good – just feeling really positive and it’s great to get back into work,” she muses.
“It’s been great to finally get a little bit more strength back. It’s a really good thing. I’m getting there – getting better every month.”
And life is certainly busier than ever for Delta, who also reveals that her high-profile relationship with tennis star Mark Philippoussis is going “really well”.
Delta recently returned to our shores from London where she was working on a new album – before jetting off again to Athens to sing the Australian national anthem at the athletes’ Olympic village!
“I just got back from London, which was really wonderful,” she says. “It was great to be there, in the one place, for a little while.
“I’ve just been in a crazy space and concentrating on writing this next album. I can’t wait to share it with you!”
When will the album hit record stores? “I’ve no idea,” laughs Delta, adding, “as soon as I finish writing it – which is hopefully by the end of the year.”
And Delta’s massive fan base will be thrilled to hear that the 19-year-old is planning her first-ever concert tour.
“Yes, early next year I should be touring,” she reveals. “I can’t wait to actually get out there and do some live performances. It will be wonderful!”
Delta also relished filming her first movie role earlier this year – the title role in the yet-to-be-released Australian film Hating Alison Ashley.
“It feels like it was quite a while ago, but it was really good fun,” she says. “It was a great cast and I think the movie will come up really well. It has a nice heart to it.”
