Interview: Jason Donovan on his new TV judging role and tabloid tribulations

Jason Donovan is trying to find Jesus. After a rollercoaster career, which has seen him fade from man-of-the-moment to tabloid fodder, then back again, the singer is now firmly fixed on a path of religion. OK, so it’s not as you might expect – the 43-year-old hasn’t discovered God or had a brush with faith – instead he’s been selected as a judge on a new Andrew Lloyd Webber talent show. So pretty much the next best thing. Starring alongside Spice Girl Mel C on Jesus Christ Superstar, Donovan will be looking for someone to play the lead role.

“Finding Jesus. That’s my line: ‘What have you been up to the last few days?’ I’ve been finding Jesus – but for us it’s going to take three months,” he laughs.

However, all jokes aside, being back on prime-time national TV is a career move some might call a miracle, given the turbulence the Aussie star has had to overcome.

Having started out in showbiz aged 11, Donovan hit the big time after starring as Scott Robinson in Neighbours, alongside Kylie Minogue, who became his on- and off-screen girlfriend. He left in 1989 to pursue a global pop career, playing sell-out concerts to screaming fans, selling millions of records worldwide as well as acting on the stage and in films.

And it was assumed he’d stay there, his name in lights. But, instead, his career and personal life hit the rocks. In 1992, Donovan sued The Face over an article suggesting he was gay. Despite winning £200,000 in damages, his reputation plummeted, with accusations of homophobia. By 1995, Donovan admitted to having a huge drugs problem, taking up to 2g of coke a day. It wasn’t until five years later, and the birth of his first child, the actor was drug-free.

But Donovan, now a father of three, says despite this downfall, he wouldn’t do things differently if he had the chance. “You tread the path that you tread in life and you can’t regret it,” he says.