Melissa George makes emotional confession about late Home And Away co-star Dieter Brummer: 'It breaks my heart'

Melissa George has broken her silence on the death of her former Home And Away co-star Dieter Brummer.

The Australian actress, 49, reflected on Brummer's tragic death in 2021 during an interview with Stellar magazine, describing his passing as a 'devastation beyond comprehension' as she looked back on their iconic roles as Shane Parrish and Angel Brooks.

George and Brummer became household names in the 1990s thanks to their on-screen romance, with Shane and Angel's wedding and his heartbreaking death among the most memorable storylines in Home And Away history.

Speaking for the first time in depth about Brummer's death, George revealed she still rewatches their scenes together and struggles to listen to one particular song linked to his final episode.

'I do watch often because Dieter is no longer with us, which is just a devastation beyond comprehension,' she told the publication.

'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 said she had recently rewatched the emotional scene in which Shane dies from sepsis after cutting himself on wire, with Angel by his side.

'Shane and Angel was everything,' she said.

'I did rewatch the scene when he passed away on the rock, the final scene of Shane, and it was absolutely heartbreaking.'

The actress admitted she still becomes emotional whenever she hears Hunters & Collectors' Throw Your Arms Around Me, which played during Shane's farewell.

'Oh my God, that song. I just got goosebumps all over my body. I'm gonna cry now,' she said.

'If I listen to that song, I'm a mess. I think about him, I think about the past, I think about being grateful for the opportunity to have had such a great part.'

George said she remains thankful for the role that launched her international career despite the sadness now attached to those memories.

'To be that young, to have that role and to be financially independent from such a young age, that's a true gift. I recommend that for everybody,' she added.

Her comments mark a significant shift from 2021, when George remained publicly silent following Brummer's death.

At the time, many of Brummer's former Home And Away castmates shared emotional tributes after the actor was found dead at his Sydney home aged 45.

George did not post publicly and declined to comment, fuelling renewed interest in reports that the pair's relationship behind the scenes had been strained despite their undeniable on-screen chemistry.

Brummer himself had previously admitted the pair were never close off camera.

'We may have been love interests on the show but the chemistry was far from real!' he told Woman's Day in 2019.

He also revealed they had not spoken since leaving the long-running soap, saying the pressure of portraying television's golden couple did not reflect their real-life relationship.

Despite those reported tensions, George's latest interview suggests time has softened any lingering resentment, with the actress instead choosing to remember Brummer's personal struggles and the legacy they created together on screen.

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging interview, George reflected on becoming an overnight star as a teenager and revealed she was repeatedly courted by record labels eager to turn her into 'the next Kylie Minogue'.

After the success of Shane and Angel, George said executives flew her to London for a string of first-class meetings before she finally confessed she couldn't sing.

'Guys, you understand that I can't sing, like, at all? Have you even asked if I could sing after this fifth, first-class trip to sign up to be the next pop star?' she recalled asking.

When executives insisted they could work around her lack of vocal talent, George remained firm.

'I don't think you understand. I wanna be an actress.'

Now living in France with her three sons, George is preparing to return to screens in the new crime drama Ms. X, which premieres on Binge and Foxtel On Demand on Tuesday.