Neighbours' fans have just witnessed the tragic death of Sonya Rebecchi, ending one of the strongest and best-loved romantic unions on Ramsay Street (seriously Neighbours - what were you thinking???) What will poor Toadie do now? No doubt a new love interest will soon be lined up for him, but Toadie and Sonya had a once in a lifetime kind of love, and whoever Toadie is next romantically linked to, the late Mrs. Rebecchi will be a very tough act to follow.
Through it's history, Neighbours have introduced couples whose relationships unsurprisingly dissolved faster than a stock cube in boiling water, and those who belonged in the how-on-earth-did-those-two-get-together category included Joe Mangel and Melanie Pearson; Gary and Therese; Paul and Jane, and now the newlywed Mark and Elly.
But there have also been couples who have stayed in the hearts of viewers and will be remembered for a long time to come. Let's take a look at some of our favourite Neighbours' couples.
1. SCOTT ROBINSON AND CHARLENE MITCHELL
Even though this list is in no particular order, it would have to be Scott (Jason Donovan) and Charlene (Kylie Minogue) at the top spot, wouldn't it! Scott and Charlene aren't just the hottest Neighbours couple; they're probably the most popular soap couple of all time, and their screen romance led to the actors who played them to become international stars. Their soap wedding, that was screened in the eighties, is still the most talked about TV wedding to this day.
Scott and Charlene met as teenagers, when Charlene greeted him with a punch in the face after Scott mistook her for a burglar. Despite the unlikeliest of starts, they soon started going out and became seriously loved-up although their relationship suffered a lot of ups and downs - which didn't end even after Charlene became Mrs. Robinson. Their families didn't expect their marriage to last due to them having married so young, but Scott and Charlene proved them wrong. The day sadly came when the Robinsons packed up and left Erinsborough for a new life in Brisbane where they are mum and dad to Daniel and Maddie and are still living in happily married bliss.
As every Kylie and Jason fan knows, Ms. Minogue and Mr. Donovan got together off-screen in a romance that delighted Neighbours viewers. It didn't last but the two are still on good terms.
2. MIKE YOUNG AND JANE HARRIS
Mike (Guy Pearce) and Jane (Annie Jones) made a fantastic couple but they were often overshadowed by their best friends Scott and Charlene. But nonetheless, their romance kept Neighbours' fans hooked. And as with the actors who played Scott and Charlene, fans hoped that Guy Pearce and Annie Jones would also become a real-life couple. It never happened but it seems as though they're still good friends in real-life which is pretty awesome too!
Dubbed 'Plain Jane Superbrain' by her less than friendly classmates, shy and awkward, Jane was desperate to fit in but didn't have any luck in making friends - until she was befriended by Scott, Charlene and Mike after an initially frosty start. Mike asked Jane to be his date to the school dance - and that episode where Mike's jaw hit the floor after Jane had had her makeover was unforgettable. Mike - like the rest of us - saw just how stunning Jane really was. They started dating but had their share of problems, from Mrs. Mangel standing in the way of their relationship to Mike's ex-girlfriend Nikki returning to Erinsborough. Then Mike did the unthinkable and cheated on Jane while on a trip to Canberra and the two broke up although they later became friends.
After some time apart Mike soon saw sense and won Jane back who by now was the Lassiter's Girl. This time round they seemed more rock solid than ever before. Then just when we thought that Mike and Jane had a real chance to be happy together, Jane fell for Mike's closest friend and father figure, Des Clarke, which wrecked their relationship once and for all. Eventually Mike and Jane each left Ramsay Street to care for sick relatives without getting back together again.
Even after Jane got with Des, fans hoped that Mike and Jane would get back together again but sadly it never happened. No one knows what the writers were thinking in getting Des and Jane together because they just weren't suited - they didn't have the same chemistry that Mike and Jane had. Whereas Scott and Charlene had their happily ever after, it would have been great if Mike and Jane had sailed off into the sunset together but it was not to be...
3. PAUL AND GAIL ROBINSON
Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) is undoubtedly the Ian Beale of Ramsay Street. How did such an unpleasant man end up with so many wives and girlfriends? And this is clearly a man who likes wedding cake because despite so many failed marriages, he still insists on proposing! However, it's his second wife Gail (Fiona Corke) who probably comes the closest to being Paul's perfect woman - and quite possibly the only woman that Paul ever truly loved. It's ironic that their marriage was only supposed to be a business arrangement but the truth was that they both loved each other - they were just too afraid to admit it. It took Gail accepting a job in New York for Paul to come clean about his feelings for her - and their passionate embrace was witnessed by a delighted Scott and Charlene.
It still wasn't all plain sailing though. Gail desperately wanted to start a family but the couple had problems conceiving. It was while she was undergoing fertility treatment that she and Paul learned that he had a child (Amy) with an ex-partner; a revelation that devastated Gail. So fans were thrilled when Gail finally got pregnant with triplets. It seemed to be a new beginning for Paul and Gail. And new beginning it was - just not in the way that fans had hoped. Fed up with Paul's workaholic ways and feeling anger towards him for the accident that killed her father, Rob, Gail had had enough of Paul's lack of support and left him while she was pregnant to start a new life in Tasmania. Paul was heartbroken and wanted to be there for Gail and the babies - but she was having none of it. When Paul realised that Gail wanted nothing more to do with him, he was forced to move on.
And move on he did - to wife number three, Christina, and after Paul and Gail,this was a bit of a lacklustre union; they lacked the fire that Paul and Gail had had. It was no surprise when Paul and Christina eventually split and Paul started getting measured for a new tux in his search for wife number four! Would Paul have turned into Mr. Nasty if he'd still been married to Gail? Who knows! But Paul and Gail definitely had a special bond - as did the actors who played them, with Stefan Dennis, quoted as saying that he'd love for Fiona Corke who played Gail to return. She appeared for two guest appearances but we'd love to see her return as a regular cast member.
4. HENRY RAMSAY AND BRONWYN DAVIES
Joker Henry Ramsay (Craig McLachlan) fell in love with Bronwyn Davies (Rachel Friend) as soon as he laid eyes on her. But the pretty blonde couldn't take Henry seriously, and started going out with Henry's friend and neighbour Mike Young instead. However Bronwyn's relationship with Mike didn't last and she soon realised that Henry was the man for her - much to his delight. Henry had gone out with Melanie Pearson in the past, and had suffered the experience of unrequited love with Des Clarke's sister, Sally. But it looked as though he might have found the right woman in caring, strong willed, country girl Bronwyn. But surprise, surprise - as with all Ramsay Street couples, Henry and Bronwyn encountered problems which saw them split up on a couple of occasions, but the bond between them was too strong and they would always find their way back to each other.
Their biggest test came just before their wedding, when Bronwyn's father, not convinced that Henry was the right man for his daughter, persuaded Bronwyn to postpone the wedding. And she did just that - on the morning of the day that she was supposed to marry Henry alongside their friends Joe and Kerry in a double wedding ceremony. Both Henry and Bronwyn were heartbroken and even though this incident could have split them up again, it didn't. And both of them were determined that next time, they'd make it to the alter without any hitches.
The next test came when Henry landed a radio job in New Zealand, and had to leave without Bronwyn who was unable to get a job transfer. Having to endure a long-distance relationship, Bronwyn felt lonely and miserable without Henry. But luckily for her, the opportunity to work at a veterinary surgery in New Zealand came up. So Bronnie bid farewell to everyone in Ramsay Street and was once again reunited with her beloved Henry. The two married off screen and are still believed to be happily married - with a family - in New Zealand.
The on-screen chemistry between Henry and Bronwyn spilled over into real-life as Craig McLachlan and Rachel Friend started dating and eventually married much to the delight of the show's fans - although they sadly later divorced.
5. JOE MANGEL AND KERRY BISHOP
Stereotypical Aussie bloke Joe Mangel (Mark Little) and free-spirited hippy Kerry Bishop (Linda Hartley) seemed like a very unlikely pairing. But the two were drawn together - and they soon found that opposites did in fact attract. Over a period of time, Kerry's hard-edged, stubborn streak subsided and viewers found her to be a very loving and caring woman who still had her own unique way of doing things. This softer side came about as the result of her relationship with Joe, proving that the two really were a good match.
But of course there were issues that had to be resolved especially as the two had very different ways of living and doing things but they managed to make compromises. The biggest hurdle they faced occurred when Kerry found herself attracted to Clive Gibbons, who had recently returned to Ramsay Street, just before her wedding to Joe. Thankfully Kerry soon saw sense and realised that Joe was the man for her. Joe and Kerry were planning to marry at around the same time as their friends Des and Jane, and Henry and Bronwyn - but Joe and Kerry were the only ones who made it to the alter that time. Further problems arose after their marriage with Joe's ex-wife getting custody of their son Toby, and the father of Kerry's toddler daughter Skye returning: two things which threatened the tranquillity of their perfectly blended family.
However, Joe and Kerry got through these episodes - including comforting a very traumatized Toby after his mum died - and were delighted to discover that Kerry was pregnant with their first child. The stage was set for a happy ending. But alas it was not to be as Kerry was accidentally shot while on a protest in front of a distraught Joe and later died in hospital.
Who were your favourite Neighbours' couples?