The last year has been eventful for Neighbours fans. All hope was thought to be lost last July when the Australian soap opera aired its final episode on Channel 5, concluding with several former cast members making a comeback - read more about that here.

In shocking news months later, Amazon confirmed that it had acquired the rights to Neighbours and a reboot will soon be released on the streaming platform. The show will welcome back the majority of its cast members.

Two people who look surprisingly different to how they first appeared on the show, which first aired in 1986, are Christina and Caroline Alessi, played by Gayle and Gillian Blakeney. Do you remember watching them on the show? Let us know in the comments.

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Gayle and Gillian, who left Neighbours at different times in 1992, look a far cry from how they did on the show. The pair subsequently quit acting after their time on Ramsay Street.

The sisters were in Neighbours for two years

During their time on Neighbours the Alessi twins were involved in several major storylines. These included being placed under witness protection after seeing a murder unfold and pretending to be the same person before being uncovered by Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis).

Following their exit from the show the real life sisters spent a short period of time in a band called The Twins and released the track All Mixed Up in 1992 and Mad If Ya Don't the following year. Today, Gayle and Gillian live in California with their partners and children.

The twins became pregnant at the same time and Gayle gave birth seven weeks before her sister. Gillian has a daughter called Stella, while Gayle has a son called Jack and then went on to have twins herself.

Gayle and Gillian made a very brief comeback to Neighbours in 2019

Away from acting and music, Gillian went on to become the co-founder of a scarf company called Leigh and Luca, which has a number of celebrity buyers, including the likes of Mary Kate Olsen and Hilary Duff. In October 2021 she tied the knot with her husband David during an intimate ceremony and was sweetly walked down the aisle by Gayle's husband Mark.

Gillian and Gayle made a very brief return to Neighbours in 2019. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.