Former Neighbours actress Holly Valance backs Lee Anderson and Reform UK

By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Former Neighbours star Holly Valance has backed Reform UK and former Conservative MP Lee Anderson joining the right-wing political group.

The Australian actress and singer, 40, known for her role as Felicity “Flick” Scully in the soap drama, attended former UK prime minister Liz Truss’ launch of the Popular Conservatism movement in London last month.

She also went to Boris and Carrie Johnson’s wedding in the Cotswolds in July 2022 along with her property tycoon husband Nick Candy.

Valance told GB News’ Chopper’s Political Podcast: “Last time I voted (for the) Conservatives, next time I’ll be voting Reform (UK).”

When asked about Mr Anderson joining Richard Tice and Nigel Farage’s party, she said: “Yeah.. I support anybody that sticks to what they believe in and isn’t a turncoat, and doesn’t do a million flip-flops and U-turns.

“So I have respect for that, even for like nutters on the other side, if you stick to what you believe and you keep reiterating that over years and years, I can always respect that.

“I might not agree with you, but I get that more than the changing of the minds and the flipping around and never having any conviction. I think people are sick of that.”

Mr Anderson, a former Conservative deputy chairman and MP for Ashfield, had been sitting as an independent in the House of Commons for suggesting London Labour mayor Sadiq Khan was being controlled by Islamist extremists.

Valance also said: “Lee’s moved from Labour to Conservatives, now to Reform. It’s really weird because there was this Reform party in Canada in 1993 that ditched the Tories in Canada as well, or got rid of them and blew them to smithereens, which is probably what’s going to happen here.

“It’s not that I think that we’re necessarily going to have a Reform government.”

Valance has previously said she wants Tory MP and former leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg to be prime minister.

When asked about Mr Rees-Mogg’s views on abortion by former Telegraph journalist Christopher “Chopper” Hope, she said it was “pretty reasonable to question it”. “I’m probably not for late-term abortion, absolutely not, I think that’s horrific,” she added.

Valance said that she was “a lefty” when she was younger, but her beliefs have since changed.

When asked about reports that Mr Candy will vote Labour at the next general election, Valance said: “It was just a miscommunication with the way he structured the sentence (on a podcast) in that he said: ‘Labour is going to get in and it’s time for a change.’

“It wasn’t: ‘Labour is getting in and I’m voting for them.’

She added that she would “assume” he would vote for the Conservative Party.

Mr Farage is the honorary president of Reform UK, which has been outspoken on immigration and net zero issues, while Mr Tice is party leader.