Dieter Brummer captured hearts and imaginations with his on-screen romance with Melissa George, but it was a very different story off-camera.
After winning legions of fans playing Shane Parrish on Home and Away, Brummer made no secret of the fact he didn’t get along with his co-star.
The former teen heartthrob, who was found dead at a home in Sydney’s Glenhaven on Saturday at the age of 45, had spoken openly about their disdain for each other.
No love lost: Dieter Brummer captured hearts and imaginations with his on-screen romance with Melissa George, but it was a very different story off-camera
Speaking to Woman’s Day magazine in November 2019, Brummer admitted he never got along along with George, 44, in real-life.
‘We may have been love interests on the show but the chemistry was far from real!’ he said at the time.
‘Mel was incredibly ambitious right from the outset. I think she wanted to be the next Kylie Minogue.
Heartthrob: After winning legions of fans playing Shane Parrish on Home and Away, Brummer made no secret of the fact he didn’t get along with his co-star
‘She was a big fan and she aspired to be a big star just like Kylie. I don’t think she had much time for the cast of Home and Away.’
Brummer said he hadn’t spoken to George since he left the soap, after begging the show’s producers to kill him off.
He told news.com.au in July 2018 that his real-life relationship with George wasn’t what fans envisioned.
Tension: Speaking to Woman’s Day magazine in November 2019, Brummer admitted he never got along along with George, 44, in real-life
‘There was a lot of pressure on us. We had to look like the perfect darling couple in public,’ he admitted.
He added: ‘It wasn’t like anything off screen. It was all on screen.’
Brummer played bad boy Shane, who eventually settled down after finding love with Angel, played by George.
Role of a lifetime: Brummer played bad boy Shane, who eventually settled down after finding love with Angel, played by George
He openly admitted that he’d been disappointed with his character’s development after he romanced Angel.
‘You don’t even talk to anyone else. There’s no interaction with other characters,’ he’d said, adding that Shane had turned into a ‘wuss’.
After recovering from a motorcycle accident, the character of Shane then died from sepsis after cutting himself on a wire.
‘We may have been love interests on the show but the chemistry was far from real!’ he said of working with Melissa George
The former actor was found dead by police on Saturday afternoon. His death is not being treated as suspicious.
Following the news of his passing, Brummer’s family released a statement saying their world would ‘never be the same’.
‘We lost our handsome, talented, funny, complicated and beloved Dieter on Saturday morning. He has left a massive hole in our lives,’ they said.
If you or someone you know is struggling, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
‘We lost our handsome, talented, funny, complicated and beloved Dieter on Saturday morning. He has left a massive hole in our lives,’ his family said in a statement. Pictured at the premiere of Batman Begins in Sydney in June 2005