Surgery, loss and a real life Neighbours wedding: Where is Melissa Bell now?

Melissa Bell was a household name in Australia during the 1990s.

She appeared in various popular TV shows including E Street, Paradise Beach and Home and Away. But it her role playing Lucy Robinson on Neighbours that she was best known for.

Bell was the third actress to play Lucy Robinson, following on from Kylie Flinker and Sasha Close. Updating the actors made sense, given Lucy was only nine when she was introduced on the show.

Bell played the role in small stints over the years, the first time from 1991 to 1992. She returned to the role in 1993, 1995, 2005, from 2013 to 2016, and recently, from 2020 to 2022. Yep, many times!

"I love my character Lucy. She's so strong and stands up for what she believes in. Some of the soap characters around are far too wimpy and not feisty enough," Bell said of Lucy in 1993.

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A post shared by Melissa Bell (@melissa_neighbours)

Personally, the Sydney native was married to Jason Redlich from 1996 to 1998. The couple have one son together.

Following the breakdown of their marriage, Bell shared how she struggled with depression and body dysmorphia, and turned to cosmetic surgery to cope.

"My first husband left me the minute my eldest son Dylan was born. I was still in the hospital and I’d just had a caesarean, so it was quite traumatic," she told Women's Day in 2014. 

"Then you start to think, 'Am I the problem? Did my marriage break down because of the way I look?' I guess that’s what triggered me into getting my first operation."

Bell had six major operations including liposuction and three breast augmentations.

In 2000, the actress married Gary Dickinson. 

He saved her from her first marriage, and the pair had three children together - Jonathan, Isabella, and William. 

But in November 2015, aged 57, Dickinson suffered an unexpected heart attack which left him in a coma. 

He passed away in February 2016 with Bell by his side. 

"He died in my arms, I was holding him. I said, 'I’m with you, you’re not alone, I love you, I love you' and he took his last breath and his heart stopped and I put my hand on his heart," she told Women's Day in 2016, per The Daily Telegraph.

Bell and Dickinson in 2005. Image: Getty.

Following her husband's passing, Bell took some time off.

"Losing the love of my life and the father of my children... it took that time to work out who I was as a person, and what I wanted out of life. And throughout it all I kept hearing Gary say, 'there’s never a right time, just do it!' which was his philosophy in life," she told Woman's Day.

In early 2018, Bell met Grant Thompson, a financial strategist, at a friend’s barbecue.

"It started out as a friendship and built over time," she told the magazine.

"Love moves on and I still want to commit to someone out there, even though I know it’s a different connection. We clicked pretty much straight away because we realised we had a lot in common when we started talking."

The pair tied the knot in 2021, with Bell wearing the same dress she wore in her 2020 Neighbours wedding.

Lucy's wedding on Neighbours. Image: Channel 10.

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Bell and Thompson have a blended family, with her husband having two teenage daughters of his own.

"Grant is... very good," Bell shared. "I'll say: 'That reminds me of Gary and I’m missing him today,' and he will support me through that."

The actress celebrate her 50th birthday last month, and is also a licensed real estate agent.

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While we last saw her in the final episodes of Neighbours earlier this year, it might not be the last time we see Bell as Lucy Robinson.

Neighbours has been picked up to be renewed by Amazon Prime, and Bell admitted in 2021 that she's even considered reality TV.

Speaking to New Idea, she said: "I would love to be on I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

"I think it would be good for me to be challenged, and I know over the years Gary always wanted me to be on it."

Feature Image: Channel 10/Getty.

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