Neighbours actor Ryan Moloney has revealed that the decision to leave Ramsay Street was not his choice.
Ryan, who plays long-running character Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi on the popular soap opera, announced in June that he would be ending his relationship with the iconic character.
Speaking to Australian soap opera website Back to the Bay, Ryan, 44, said he was grateful the decision had been made for him.
“It wasn’t really my choice, it was theirs,” she told the publication.
She admitted that she had been wanting to leave the soap opera for “some time” but that its appeal had proven too great to resist.
“I’ve wanted to leave for a long time, but Neighbours is one of those jobs where you work with amazing people. They pay you really well. And if you had a friend who had one of those jobs, you’d be like, ‘Oh, mate, what are you doing? You’ve got to stay there. Hang in there as long as you can,'” he said.
Ryan added that while he had wanted to move on for some time, he had always found it difficult to say “no.”
“I’m very grateful that they made that decision for me, because I don’t think I could say no to a contract.”
Neighbours actor Ryan Moloney has revealed that the decision to leave Ramsay Street was not his
“I think I would always say, ‘oh, yeah, okay, I’ll do another one.'”
Ryan officially announced he would be leaving the show in June, while also giving hints about what his plans might be for the future.
“Hi, I’m Ryan Moloney, formerly Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi from Neighbours. That’s right, I said that earlier because after 30 years of playing Toadie, I’m leaving Ramsay Street,” Ryan said in the clip shared on Neighbours’ Instagram page.
‘Now, I can’t tell you what’s going to happen to the character, whether we’ll see him again or not.
“Well, it wasn’t really my choice. It was their choice,” she told Australian soap opera website Back to the Bay.
“Maybe he can be the next Jim Robinson, or maybe he’ll be the next Harold Bishop and keep coming back over the years.”
Ryan added that while Toadie planned to say goodbye to Ramsay Street, he would remain a very important part of the Neighbours family.
“Although I won’t be able to tell you our fantastic stories in front of the camera, I hope to be able to tell them to you from the other side: behind the camera,” she said.
‘I’ve just started my training as a director and just finished filming my first episode as a director, so I really hope you enjoy it.’
Ending the clip with a heartfelt thank you to fans, Ryan added: “I’m going to miss you, I’m going to miss him and I’m going to miss Erinsborough, but whatever you do, make sure you don’t miss what’s going to happen on Ramsay Street.”
Ryan has become one of the most recognisable faces on Neighbours since he first appeared on Ramsay Street as Toadie in 1995.
He has been at the center of a number of dramatic and heartbreaking stories, including his tragic love story with Dee Bliss (Madeleine West).
“I’m very grateful that they made that decision for me because I don’t think I could say no to a contract,” he added.
