Donna Jane Freedman (born October 25, 1991) is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
from the
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
NeighboursNeighbours is a Logie Award-winning Australian soap opera, which began airing in March 1985. The series follows the lives of families who live in the six houses at the end of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac in the fictional middle-class suburb of Erinsborough. Storylines explore the romances,...
. She is portrayed by
Margot RobbieMargot Robbie is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Donna Freedman on the soap opera Neighbours.-Career:...
. She made her first appearance in episode 5466, and was introduced as the
stalkerStalking is a term used to describe unwanted attention by individuals to others. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation. The word "stalking" is used, with some differing meanings, in psychology and psychiatry and also in some legal jurisdictions as a term for a criminal...
of
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
Ty HarperTyler Harper is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Dean Geyer. He first appeared on the show on episode 5419, which aired on 27 March 2008...
(portrayed by
Dean GeyerDean Stanley Geyer is an Australian singer-songwriter and actor who finished third in the talent contest Australian Idol 2006....
), but has since revealed deep insecurities and a desire for friends. She attends Erinsborough High and lives with Elle Robinson on
Ramsay StreetRamsay Street is a fictional street in the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours and is located in the fictional suburb of Erinsborough, Melbourne....
.
Background
Donna's parents are currently in the middle of a divorce. She is the oldest of three kids, with younger brother Simon and sister Tegan. The whereabouts of her father, Sergeant Matt Freedman (
Benjamin Grant MitchellBenjamin Grant Mitchell is a writer, singer and actor from Melbourne, Australia.Generally credited as Ben Mitchell, his full name was first recorded for playing ‘‘Troy Keogh’’ in a 1996 episode of Blue Heelers titled ‘Sex & Death’.As a singer/songwriter he released The Stars Can See through MGM...
) are unknown and her mother "has taken disappointment to a professional level". Donna also calls her parents by their first names as it makes her life easier if she thinks of them as "badly behaved kids", rather than her parents. She has a competitive streak, due to her mother always trying to outshine her, which causes her to have no female friends, and is too out of control to have romantic relationships. Due to all of this, she has a music dream, which leads her to her obsession with Ty. She is described as brittle, awkward and unscrupulous, though she is also warm, vulnerable, loving, charming and playful. She tries really hard to make friends, which leads to people misunderstanding her and labeling her as strange. Donna has stated herself to be bisexual.
Arrival
Donna made her first appearance at Charlie's, when she was trying to talk to Ty, however her presence was not well received by him, as he explained to
Rachel KinskiRachel Jessica Kinski was a fictional character on the Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Caitlin Stasey from 2005 until she departed in 2009.- History :...
(
Caitlin StaseyCaitlin Jean Stasey is an Australian actress from Melbourne , who is best known for her previous role as Rachel Kinski in Neighbours. Previously she played Francesca Thomas in The Sleepover Club.-Biography:...
) that she had been stalking him for over a year. To try to get rid of Donna, Rachel agreed to pretend to be Ty's girlfriend. She later returned when Charlie's had kissing booths set up for a fundraiser. Donna purchased tickets to Ty's stall, however Rachel saved Ty by making him swap places with
Ringo BrownRingo Brown is a fictional character in the Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Sam Clark since January 2007. In September 2009, Clark announced he was leaving the show for at least three months, and may not return at all...
(
Sam ClarkSamuel James Clark is an actor from Adelaide, South Australia. He is best known for portraying Ringo Brown on Neighbours....
). In order to try to get closer to Ty, she later told Rachel to let Ty know that she was doing work experience at a record company and wanted to try to get Ty a record contract.
Rachael Kinski and Ty Harper
She also tried to bond with Rachel through Ringo, by spending time with him and questioning him about aspects of Rachel's life. During this, Ringo accidentally tells Donna about Rachel's relationship with her teacher,
Angus HendersonAngus Henderson is a fictional character on the Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by actor Jonathan Wood.-Character's background :...
(
Jonathan WoodJonathan Wood is an Australian actor who has appeared in theatre, film and television. He graduated from the Adelaide Centre for Performing Arts in 2004....
), however he later backed off and dropped the subject. While spending time with Ringo, Donna was caught out by Rachel trying on her jacket, leaving Rachel freaked out. While volunteering with the fire service, cutting down trees, she was seen wearing a wig to try and match Rachel's hair, raising further questions about Donna's motives. She also tried to convince Ty that the music executives loved his demo CD, and thinks that they can work together, however Ty rejected Donna, leaving her distressed.
The Bush Fire
The bush that was being cleared up later suffered from a
bushfireA bushfire is a fire that occurs in the bush . In south east Australia, bushfires tend to be most common and most severe during summer and autumn, in drought years, and particularly severe in El Niño years...
, with suspicions that it was started by a
fire bugArson is the crime of deliberately and maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires caused by lightning for example. The study of the causes is the subject of fire investigation...
. Rumours were being spread around that it was Donna who started the fire, as she was seen acting unstably at the time. She later told the police that she knows who started the fire. While she was at the
police stationA police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.-Regional...
,
Toadie RebecchiJarrod Vincenzo "Toadfish" Rebecchi is a fictional character on the popular Australian soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Ryan Moloney.- Character's background :...
(
Ryan MoloneyRyan Moloney is an Australian actor. Since 1995 he has portrayed the character Jarrod "Toadfish" Rebecchi in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Before Neighbours:...
) arrived to take notes on Donna's story, however she couldn't tell a clear story and kept on changing aspects of it, leaving Toadie to be suspicious about her. He told her that this is the reason why the police don't believe her, however he said that despite he didn't believe that she saw someone, he believed that she didn't commit the crime.
It was later revealed that
Stephanie ScullyStephanie Jo Scully is a fictional character on the Australian soap opera Neighbours. She entered the series in 1999, originally played by Emma Roche, but replaced by Carla Bonner after only three weeks of filming .-History:Steph was once an apprentice mechanic, working at Lou's...
's then boyfriend, firefighter Jay, had started the fire.
Counseling and changing schools
Toadie got local
school counsellorA school counselor is a counselor and educator who works in elementary, middle, and high schools to provide academic, career, college readiness, and personal/social competencies to all students through advocacy, leadership, systemic change, and teaming and collaborating with other stakeholders as...
Dan FitzgeraldDaniel Fitzgerald is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Actor Brett Tucker originated the role from 1999 to 2000, and returned to Australian screens on 30 October 2007. In June 2009, it was announced that Tucker had quit the show in order to move to the United States....
(
Brett TuckerBrett Alan Tucker is an Australian actor and singer. The son of Ken and Janice Tucker, he grew up in the Yarra Valley of Victoria with his three siblings - Nicky, Mark and David...
) to counsel her. Donna told Dan that she found it hard to make friends, as everyone pushes her away, including her parents. She asked Dan to continue to counsel her, though Dan declined and said that seeing as she wasn't a student at his school, she should talk to the school counsellor from her school, Edens Hill Grammar. Instead she chose to change schools to Erinsborough High.
Nicola West's Accident and Dad
Donna, whilst upset one day, stole her father's police car and accidentally hit Nicola West and her dog. Nicola was thrown from the road so Donna did not see her and believed she had only injured the dog. Donna felt dreadful, especially when she realised that she had hit Nicola as well. She revealed all to Ringo, who told her they should go to the police, but when she told her father, who was a policeman, he forced her to keep quiet and attempted to cover it up. He tried to frame
Lucas Fitzgerald-People bearing the surname Lucas:*See Lucas *François Édouard Anatole Lucas, mathematician who studied Lucas numbers and the closely related Fibonacci numbers * George Lucas, American filmmaker...
for the accident, but eventually Donna owned up after her father attacked Ringo and her father was arrested. However, he skipped bail, leaving Donna alone.
Relationship with Elle Robinson
Elle supported Donna whilst her father tried to frame Lucas for the car accident, as she knew the truth from the beginning. Donna and Elle grew closer, with Elle often being there for Donna and Donna attempting to help her new friend with her love life. After Donna's father left town, she moved in with Elle, who now cares for Donna as a temporary guardian, meaning that Donna is officially a Ramsay Street resident. The two were also in a minor car accident after Elle bought a faulty car from a dodgy dealer. Donna was mostly uninjured while Elle sprained her ankle, but Elle lied to the police in order to protect Donna after the dealer threatened her and those she cared about. The car dealer was eventually caught. Elle has become motherly toward Donna, being caring and protective. She is the first Ramsey Street resident to find out that either Donna, Rachel or Bridget is pregnant. She is relieved to find out that it is not Donna and gives helpful advice, Elle is just like a sister to Donna.
Ringo Brown
Ringo has been attracted to Donna since meeting her, and gradually Donna began to return his feelings. However, her insecurities regarding how people, particularly boys, view her along with her problems with her father meant that it took a long while before they started a relationship. Though they grew closer as Ringo supported Donna through her family problems, small incidents kept getting in the way of them getting together. Donna became a cheerleader in order to try and get Ringo's attention, thinking that that is the way to a boy's heart. Eventually, they talked properly, but there were still difficulties as Donna expected Ringo to want a physical relationship and then leave her, a view she had due to previous relationships. Ringo wanted their, and his, first time to be special, but Donna thought he was rejecting her. Eventually however, they did sleep together and Donna still expected Ringo to no longer care for her. Ringo proved her wrong however, and they began a relationship in October 2008. Soon after, Donna suspected that she could be pregnant, along with her two friends,
Rachel KinskiRachel Jessica Kinski was a fictional character on the Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Caitlin Stasey from 2005 until she departed in 2009.- History :...
and
Bridget ParkerBridget Louise "Didge" Napier was a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. The character, played by Eloise Mignon, debuted on 23 July 2007 and exited on 21 July 2009 after dying of car crash injuries....
. However, tests revealed that only Bridget was pregnant.
Family's Arrival
In the last episode of the 2008 season, Donna's younger siblings
Simon FreedmanSimon Freedman is a fictional character on the popular Australian television series Neighbours, he is portrayed by Mauricio Merino Jr. He first appeared in episode 5605 on 12 December 2008. He was introduced as younger brother of Donna Freedman....
,
Tegan FreedmanTegan Freedman is a fictional character on the popular Australian television series Neighbours, she is portrayed by Chelsea Jones. She first appeared in episode 5605 on the 12th of December 2008. She was introduced as younger sister of Donna Freedman....
arrived in Erinsborough. The Freedman siblings hadn't seen each other for a while, since their parents divorce. Simon blamed Donna for the divorce of their parents, but soon forgave her. Donna found out by her mother (Cass) that Tegan and Simon are only her half siblings because Matt isn't her real father.
In February 2009, Donna's mum,
Cassandra FreedmanCassandra "Sass" Freedman is a fictional character in the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. She is the mother of Donna Freedman, Tegan Freedman and Simon Freedman....
, arrived on Ramsay street. She had a number of affairs culminating in her separation from Donna's father. Donna pins the blame for her present situation solely on Cassandra. Donna's mum has a competitive nature and is always trying to beat her daughter. Cassandra flirts with Ringo making him uneasy around her and Donna. Donna then had a dream that Cassandra and Ringo sleep together. Donna was angry when she found out that Ringo spent the night at her mother's house, and she believed her sister Tegan when she told her that Ringo slept in Cassandra's bed. Cassandra makes moves on Paul Robinson in an attempt to get his money, but both Sam Fitzgerald and Donna become suspicious of her motives after hearing a conversation between Cassandra and Tegan. Cassandra was driven out of Ramsay Street by Elle and it has been confirmed by Neighbours that there are no plans for the character to return .
Zeke Kinski
After Zeke returned to the street following his accident, he and Donna began hanging out as closer friends. However, Ringo believed that they were together and became angry that his best friend was seeing his former girlfriend. At Libby and Dan's wedding reception, Donna and Zeke shared a kiss. Donna later told Zeke that they can only be friends. When Ringo saw the two talking together a fight broke out between him and Zeke in the street. Donna was angry with both of them for fighting over her. Zeke realised that he wanted to be more than friends with Donna, he told her he wanted to be with her and they kissed. Zeke and Ringo continued to argue and fight with each other and a controlled fight was arranged. On the day of the fight Bridget and Declan gave a letter from Donna to each of them. Donna had decided to leave Erinsborough for a while to get away from the fighting and to see if she could find her father. Donna returned a few weeks later unsuccessful in finding her father. However, when she returned she realised that both Ringo and Zeke had solved their differences and tried to avoid both boys. As Donna and Zeke rehearsed for the school play they kissed and realised that there was nothing between them and that they should just remain friends.
School Play
When Dan took charge of the school play over the school holidays, Donna tried out, and her talent became obvious. She got the lead in the play and Cass offered to help make the costumes. However Cass soon became jealous of the attention surrounding Donna and in spite of her daughter, accused Dan of taking advantage of Donna when she saw Dan comforting an upset Donna. It all soon came to blows when Cass soon became extremely upset when she started receiving strange phone calls and threats from a stalker. However it was soon revealed that the person behind the threats was in fact Donna as she wanted to get back at Cass. Donna told her mother that she disowned her and wanted a "Parent Divorce". She moved back into number 22 with Paul and Elle and carried on with rehearsing for the school Play.
Motorbike crash
Elle neglected telling Donna about her issues when her father Paul is suspected for murder. Donna felt Elle didn't want to tell her because she didn't figure in the end. She spends some time with Steph and seeing what an independent woman she is, and wanting ideas on playing her character in a school play, takes a leaf out of her book. First wearing the same clothes as her, but things get a bit out of hand and she steals her motorbike and goes for a spin. Being unable to drive, she comes crashing down. Donna escaped with minor injuries and was okay. She was grounded by Elle soon after she heard what had happened. After the crash Ringo began to tell Donna his feelings by trying to write her love poems,however he couldn't put the words to the paper and ask Sunny for her help much to Zeke's dismay. When she found out, she stunned
Sunny LeeSunny Lee is a fictional character on Australian soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Hany Lee. She made her first appearance on Australian television on 8 April 2009...
with a kiss and stopped talking to Ringo but later the pair reconciled.
Fire at number 22
When Ringo was walking Donna home they both admitted they wanted to get back together. Donna wanted them to take things slowly but ended up having a passionate kiss with Ringo. The next day they were doing homework and were about to kiss when Elle and Lucas came down and thought something was going on. Elle and Lucas went to look for Paul, while Ringo and Donna were left alone. Although they had agreed to take things slow, the sexual tension soon took over. Donna blindfolded Ringo and took him upstairs to her bedroom and showed him the bed. She ripped off his shirt and as they began to kiss she suddenly remembered she'd left the door open and that Cat would wonder outside if she didn't shut it, so she left Ringo waiting and went downstairs to check that Cat hadn't gone missing. But when
Kate Ramsay Kathryn "Kate" Ramsay is a fictional character on Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ashleigh Brewer. She is the granddaughter of Max Ramsay and Anne Robinson, and niece of Paul Robinson.-Mother's Death:...
jumped out of the Robinson's garden Susan thought something was going on. Then a house fire started with Ringo still in the house. He ran down stairs and shouted for Donna but collapsed. Donna ran in to find him on the floor unconscious. She took him outside and was rushed to hospital. He had no serious injuries, other than a sore throat. Later in the hospital Ringo asked Bridget if she could do him a favour. When Donna later returned with a jug of water for Ringo, Bridget handed the pair two small packages. When they opened it, it turned out to be their friendship rings they had exchanged a while back. Ringo placed Donna's ring on her finger and Donna placed Ringo's ring on his finger. They both shared a kiss as Bridget watched happily in the background.
Bridget's Death
After tragedy struck, the teens were left devastated by the loss of their best friend Bridget. Donna was left extremely upset by it and in result had blocked out her emotions and wouldn't cry. Sunny told Donna that it was natural to deal with grief in different ways, during a ceremony that Sunny organized Donna eventually broke down in tears. Donna took to her role as India's godmother helped support Declan and care for India.
James Linden
Before Cass left she revealed to Donna that the father she had known for 17 years was in fact not her biological father, and her biological one had left them, when he found out about Cass's pregnancy. The thought of finding her real father played on Donna's mind heavily and finally she decided to do something about it. She started a video blog asking if anyone could help find her father or if anyone was him. Zeke wasn't happy about Donna putting personal details on the internet and asked her if he could put a programme onto her computer to protect her. Whilst installing the programme a message came through, supposedly from her real father, but Zeke deleted the message before Donna could see it. After a few false replies Donna began to lose hope and decided that she should delete her blog.
On August 28 2009, a man arrived in Ramsay street looking for Donna. After being confronted by Ringo about who he was, the man turned up at No. 22 and told Donna that he was her half brother, James. They both did a DNA test, but the results came back inconclusive. James suggested that they should take another test, but it would cost $8,000. James told Donna that he could get half the money and asked if she could get the rest. Trying to make up the money, Donna held a garage sale selling many things important to her such as her hair straighteners, ipod and her cheer leading pom poms. Realising she wasn't going to make all the money selling her things, Donna stole the money from Elle's bank account. After Elle found out about the missing money she confronted Donna in front of James, who told Donna that she was wrong to take the money and he would pay the full amount for the test. James brought the results of the second test to Donna and told her that the results were positive. Whilst everyone was congratulating Donna, James put a key tracker onto Elle's computer to get Elle's bank account details. He later transferred all her money into his account and left Ramsay street. Feeling guilty about what had happened, Donna left notes for Elle & Ringo and ran away to try and find James. However, Donna was soon found by Elle, Lucas & Ringo who convinced her to come home. Donna received another e-mail from a man named Nick a day after James betrayed her. Donna deleted the e-mail and told Ringo and
Kate Ramsay Kathryn "Kate" Ramsay is a fictional character on Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ashleigh Brewer. She is the granddaughter of Max Ramsay and Anne Robinson, and niece of Paul Robinson.-Mother's Death:...
to shoot her if she ever tried to look for her family again.
Saffron Jankievicz
When Donna spots a magazine article about her favourite designer Saffron Jankievicz appearing in the city at a fashion show. Even though the show is VIP's only, Donna believed that this was her chance to met and impress Saffron. Donna tries to convince Elle to let her go, despite being grounded, but Elle refuses. Donna, with the help of Ringo, decides to sneak out instead. At the fashion show Donna attempted numerous times to get past the bouncers who refuse to let her in and she decided that she needed Ringo's help. Ringo arrived and Donna told the bouncers that he plays for the Dingoes, the bouncers being fans, let them through.
Donna got to speak to Saffron for a few minutes and Saffron seemed impressed with Donna's Skelt (a scarf used as a belt). After Saffron's show was unsuccessful, she blamed the employees for it. Donna finally decided to stand up for herself, after being treated terribly. She decided to quit the job and focus on her school work. But, Saffron came back at her with a slap in the face. After being hit, Donna decides to press charges against her.