Kylie Minogue does not usually get personal. But in a new interview ahead of her Netflix doc, she goes there, talking candidly about two exes who shaped her life in very different ways: Michael Hutchence and Jason Donovan.
Michael Hutchence: the one that still looms large
Asked if INXS frontman Michael Hutchence was the love of her life, Minogue, now 57, did not dance around it in a May 16 chat with The Sunday Times.
"Yes, probably."
She says she has had a lot of relationships—some love, some not—and that this one, while relatively brief, left a deep mark. Minogue and Hutchence were together from 1989 to 1991 (they dated; they were not married), and he died by suicide in 1997.
What stuck with her? He made her slow down, trust herself, and feel like her music and instincts were worth backing. In her upcoming three-part Netflix documentary, simply titled 'Kylie', she revisits that time. There is a stretch in episode two where she talks about him and breaks down; she says the room went silent as it happened. She knew she would cry somewhere in the process—she had been carrying a lot—and that moment was it.
Jason Donovan: from soap storyline to the real thing
Before Hutchence, there was Jason Donovan, her 'Neighbours' co-star. They dated for three years starting in 1986, right as their on-screen romance took off. The show wrote the love story first; real life followed. Decades later, they are still on good terms. While digging through old photos and footage for the doc, she has been firing Donovan some wild throwbacks and joking that he should start saving his own material for when it is his turn to do a documentary.
Opening up on camera (finally)
Minogue has long preferred to live outside the Hollywood microscope, which is why this doc feels like a big swing for her. She describes a knot of excitement and nerves about doing something so revealing, plus the simple logistics headache: how do you even tell a life story with this much history? She has turned down plenty of documentary offers before; she has never done anything like this until now.
Quick timeline
- 1986–1989: Minogue and 'Neighbours' co-star Jason Donovan date for three years; they remain friends.
- 1989–1991: Minogue and INXS singer Michael Hutchence are together; the relationship is short but hugely influential.
- 1997: Hutchence dies by suicide.
- May 16 (The Sunday Times): Minogue, 57, calls Hutchence the love of her life and previews emotional moments from her Netflix doc.
- Coming soon: 'Kylie' on Netflix, a three-part documentary; episode two includes the tearful Hutchence segment.
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