Sarah Monahan hopes to move back to Australia and return to Home and Away

Sarah Monahan wants her old life back, after disgraced Hey Dad..! actor and convicted child sex offender Robert Hughes was deported to the United Kingdom. 

The actress, who now lives on a ranch in Texas, hopes to return to Australia and restart her career, she told Stellar Magazine on Saturday. 

‘Now he is not here, I would love to come home to Australia. I can move about freely, maybe even return to television, but I am wondering if the industry is ready for me to be me without the Hey Dad..! stuff attached’ the 45-year-old says. 

‘I miss the industry. I miss constantly doing something new and exciting. I miss the people, the parties, meeting new and interesting people. I want to see if I can make it as an actor,’ she continued.    

Monahan hopes to resume her old role on soap opera Home and Away, on which she played Heather in 1995. 

‘I could return to Home And Away. I want to be remembered for the work I do, not what happened to me. I feel like one story has ended and this is a new beginning, one full of hope and promise where I am in control of my own narrative.’ 

Hughes (bottom left) was jailed in 2014 on 10 charges relating to sexual and indecent acts perpetrated on four young girls, including his on-screen daughter Sarah Monahan (bottom centre), in the 1980s and 1990s. Pictured is the cast of Hey Dad..!

Monahan starred as Jenny Kelly on sitcom Hey Dad..! between 1987 and 1993, alongside Hughes, who starred as Martin Kelly in the TV comedy from 1987 to 1994. 

Hughes was jailed in 2014 on 10 charges relating to sexual and indecent acts perpetrated on four young girls, including his on-screen daughter Monahan, in the 1980s and 1990s.

He was imprisoned for 10 years and nine months with a non-parole period of six years, which expired in April 2020.

Hughes (pictured), who starred as Martin Kelly in the TV comedy from 1987 to 1994, was released from Long Bay Correctional Facility last month and deported to the UK to live with his wife, agent Robyn Gardiner, after being granted parole by the NSW State Parole Authority 

Hughes continues to deny his crimes despite ‘overwhelming evidence’. 

‘He’s an old man and he’s frail, but they don’t change, and he’s a denier,’ Monahan said. ‘He still thinks he hasn’t done anything.’

Hughes was released from Long Bay Correctional Facility last month and deported to the UK to live with his wife, agent Robyn Gardiner, after being granted parole by the NSW State Parole Authority. 

The 73-year-old renounced his Australian citizenship in 2020, thus becoming a non-lawful citizen requiring deportation upon release. 

‘Now he is not here, I would love to come home to Australia. I can move about freely, maybe even return to television, but I am wondering if the industry is ready for me to be me without the Hey Dad..! stuff attached’ the 45-year-old Sarah says 

While allegations against Hughes were raised in the 1990s, it took a paid television interview by Monahan in 2010 to spark a broad police investigation into claims of sexual misconduct by the actor.

His victims included a family friend, friends of his daughter, and Monahan.

Hughes will be monitored in the UK under the Sexual Offences Act ‘notifications requirements’.

He must report to police within three days of his return to the UK, and once a year from then on and within three days of changing his details. 

 While allegations against Hughes were raised in the 1990s, it took a paid television interview by Monahan in 2010 to spark a broad police investigation into claims of sexual misconduct by the actor. The cast of Hey Dad..! are pictured 

He will be required to provide passport and banking details and must notify police of any intention to travel out of the UK. 

Hughes must also provide details of where he lives and where he regularly stays if different to his home address. 

‘There is a requirement to notify police if he going to stay (for a period of at least 12 hours) at a household where a child is present,’ the parole authority noted.

He will be sent back to jail for up to six months if he fails to fulfil these conditions. 

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