The article contains discussion of sexual assault that some readers might find distressing.
Home and Away star Christie Hayes has criticised one of the Australian soap's most controversial storylines from over 20 years ago.
The actor played Kirsty Sutherland between 2000 and 2005 (and later between 2008 and 2009), and her biggest storyline was unfortunately notable for the wrong reasons.
Kirsty had a relationship with (and later married) Kane Phillips, a man who had previous raped her sister Dani.
In an interview with Chattr, Hayes reflected on the storyline and said she wishes it received more of a backlash at the time, rather than several years later after the fact.
Related: Home and Away lines up dark new storyline for Remi Carter
What to Read Next
"It was talked about a lot, and perhaps even disappointingly, did not cop a single ounce of flack, and I look at that now and I go, 'Oh my God, I wish that it had,'" she said.
"I don't personally wish that upon myself [as an actor] because you're told to do storylines. But that would never fly these days, and it shouldn't have."
She added: "The weird thing is, now that I think about it and have thought about it as an adult… was that Kirsty and Kane were so loved and it was one of the most popular storylines on Home and Away."
"And from what I'm told, the TV Week cover of Kirsty and Kane on their wedding days was one of the highest-selling copies of TV Week in history."
She called the reaction "bittersweet", noting: "You're so happy that your storyline was well received and whatnot. But taking all of that aside, I think back and look at it and I often wonder, how many people were traumatised by that, and how many people got hurt by something like that, which is happening just as horrendously, statistically now as it did then."
Related: Home and Away reveals first clues to Irene's exit after 33 years
She also shared she felt guilty over the storyline and explained "consideration to the real world just didn’t exist" in TV back then, which is why she doesn't look back on that particular storyline fondly.
"As a grown woman and with children of my own, I often think, 'Would I ever want my kids to see that storyline?' No, not really," she said.
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.45pm on Channel 5, with repeat screenings at 6pm on 5STAR and first-look screenings at 6.30pm on 5STAR. Selected classic episodes are available via Prime Video in the UK.
In Australia, the show airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7pm on Channel 7 and streams on 7Plus.
Read more Home and Away spoilers on our dedicated homepage
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, which works towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on its website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
