Chloe Brennan | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Neighbours character | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Portrayed by | April Rose Pengilly | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Duration | 2018–2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
First appearance | 27 March 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Last appearance | 28 December 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Introduced by | Jason Herbison | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chloe Brennan is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by April Rose Pengilly. Pengilly auditioned for the role without knowing anything about the character. Not long after she made plans to move to Los Angeles, Pengilly was invited for a screen test and she was offered the part of Chloe a week later. Neighbours marks her first regular television role, and she made her debut during the episode broadcast on 27 March 2018. Chloe is the sister of the established Brennan brothers, and had often been mentioned on-screen by her family prior to her arrival. Chloe is portrayed as "well-meaning", "carefree" and "fun-loving". She wants to get along with everyone and live her life to the fullest. However, she also suffers from intimacy and "daddy issues", due to her upbringing which saw her raised by her mother following her parents' separation.
Chloe comes to Erinsborough to reconnect with her brothers Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor) and Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson), following their father's death. Shortly after her introduction, writers established a romantic relationship between Chloe and her boss Leo Tanaka (Tim Kano). An ongoing, issue-led storyline saw Chloe diagnosed with Huntington's disease. Pengilly enjoyed exploring another side to her character, and she hoped the story arc would raise awareness of the condition among viewers. Chloe comes into conflict with her family, neighbours and boss when she launches an escort service, which sees her charging men for platonic dates. The plot led to the introduction of millionaire businessman Pierce Greyson (Tim Robards), who develops strong feelings for her.
Towards the end of 2018, producers decided to explore Chloe's bisexuality and began an unrequited love story as Chloe falls in love with Mark's girlfriend Elly Conway (Jodi Anasta). Her former girlfriend Melissa Lohan (Jacqui Purvis) was also introduced leading to further exploration of Chloe's fictional backstory. For her portrayal of Chloe, Pengilly was included on the long list for the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent, despite not having appeared on-screen when voting opened. She also received a nomination for Best Soap Newcomer at the 2018 Digital Spy Reader Awards. Pengilly won Best Daytime Star at the 2021 Inside Soap Awards.
Chloe appeared up to the finale episode of Neighbours, which aired on 28 July 2022, and returned for the reboot on 13 November 2023. Pengilly left the show again on 28 December 2023 after Chloe and Elly Conway got married.[2]