Ross Newton played truck driver Greg Marshall between 1991 and 2000
Former Home and Away actor Ross Newton has revealed that he was forced to keep his sexuality a secret during his stint on the soap.
The actor, who played truck driver Greg Marshall between 1991 and 2000, revealed that keeping who is really is quiet during the ‘90s had a “huge effect” on him.
“It was a very different society," he told Australia's The Morning Show of being gay in the early 1990s.
"I think being an LGBTQI performer in the entertainment industry was totally fine and there aren't a lot actors who would have had a problem with it, I wouldn't think – but I think it was more the perception of society and where society was at the time.
“So, I think we've come leaps and bounds – and reflecting on my time on Home and Away, I was told at the time by a producer on the show, who was doing the right thing by me, but he said, 'Look, for your career's sake and for our show, it's best that you just do not talk about this sort of thing'.”
He added: “That was normal then. You'd go into a casting and you weren't allowed to tell people who you were. And I found that really challenging. It really had a huge effect," he continued.
"I was constantly on my toes – I was always wondering, is someone going to find out or am I going to get caught out somewhere?"
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Despite the unwanted advice, Ross still looks back fondly on his time on the Aussie soap.
“It was a pretty new show at the time – and it was really gaining momentum," he said. "It was a close-knit group of people. We had no idea that it would become what it's now become – and I'm proud to have played a part in it."
