Kylie Minogue’s new Netflix documentary gives fans an unprecedented look into her private world. The three-part series, simply titled Kylie, covers her four-decade career from Neighbours to global pop stardom. But the most emotional moments come when she discusses two deeply personal chapters of her life: her relationship with Michael Hutchence and her breast cancer battle. In an exclusive interview with HELLO! magazine, the Australian icon opens up about both.
*Kylie premiered on Netflix on May 15, 2026. It includes never-before-seen home videos and photographs from her personal archives.*
She breaks down crying while discussing Hutchence. She admits she has been searching for a connection like that ever since. She also reveals that talking about her cancer diagnosis, which happened over 20 years ago, is still something she has to navigate today.
Kylie Minogue Cries on Camera Discussing Michael Hutchence
Kylie dated INXS frontman Michael Hutchence for two years, following her split from Jason Donovan in 1989. He died by suicide in 1997. In the documentary, Kylie admits that speaking about him was understandably emotional.
She told HELLO!: “That was the first time I cried on camera in the interviews. I was like ‘uh oh, uh oh, uh oh’, I knew it was gonna happen and here it comes. I didn’t think it would be about that conversation. But when I really think about him and talk about him, I can often just feel his presence and think about that time.”
The documentary reveals that Hutchence led her into a decadent, rock’n’roll lifestyle and a journey of self-discovery. That relationship helped change her image from innocent soap star to a pixie-cropped pop diva. Their split left her “devastated.” In one of the most revealing moments of the series, she says: “It was definitely an amazing point in time and I’ve probably been looking for something like that ever since – and I haven’t got it.”
Her Cancer Battle: ‘Something You Still Have to Navigate’
In May 2005, at the age of 36, Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer. She canceled her tour and Glastonbury appearance for surgery and chemotherapy. After treatment in Melbourne and Paris, she was given the all-clear in 2006.
Discussing this period for the documentary was difficult. She told HELLO! that the experience was “both cathartic and difficult.” She added: “You know, I’m talking about it from a vantage point where I’m not in that situation now, so my only struggle with that is I can never really tell that whole story because there’s a lot to it and it doesn’t kind of come and go. It’s something you still have to navigate.”
She quoted her own song ‘Story’ from her 2023 album Tension. The lyrics reflect on overcoming personal difficulties with the support of others. “I knew that [the cancer battle] would be part of the story,” she said. “I just keep going to the song, were you part of my story?”
Jason Donovan Drops ‘Clangers’ About Their Past Romance
The documentary includes candid contributions from Kylie’s former boyfriend and Neighbours co-star, Jason Donovan. The pair played on-screen sweethearts Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell on the Australian soap. They dated from 1986 to 1989.
In the series, Donovan admits he thought they would get married and start a family together. He also uses colourful language when complaining that to this day, he is still constantly asked by cab drivers about their romance.
Kylie told HELLO! that she found his honesty touching. “There’s some clangers!” she laughs. “It’s just unreal. I just thought that’s quintessential Jason Donovan. Maybe all of us, as we kind of go through life, become [bigger] versions of ourselves. I just thought that’s so JD. Swearing, telling it how it is.”
She added: “So I love seeing how he felt at ease enough to be really truthful, even when it was a painful conversation. I appreciated it so much. I didn’t know what any of the contributors had said. I didn’t know what the shape of the documentary was. It was all revealed to me when I went to see it.”
She also told the magazine that she was “very moved by what Jason said and also all the footage of us in Neighbours. Very fond memories.”
Her Family Appears On Camera for the First Time
One of the documentary’s most touching scenes features Kylie with her entire family: her sister Dannii, her mother Carol, father Ronald, and rarely seen brother Brendan. This marks the first time the Minogue family has appeared together on film.
Kylie explained that this required careful handling. “There is not a world in which my parents are gonna sit down and do a talking head interview. They don’t do that,” she told HELLO!. “So I really have to speak with all the family before kind of hitting the green light.”
She said that if she found anything family-related in her archives, she would immediately check in with them to ensure they were happy with the result. “Anything that had family in it? I sent it to them first. So, yeah, again, it’s been a process. If it was my archive, that was fine, but anything to do with family, I needed them to be okay with it.”
What the Documentary Covers
Directed by BAFTA-winner Michael Harte, who previously worked on Netflix documentaries about David Beckham and Michael J. Fox, Kylie spans the full range of her career. It covers her breakout success as Charlene on Neighbours in the late 1980s, her evolution into a global pop icon with more than 80 million records sold, her rebellious rock era with Hutchence, her cancer battle and recovery, and her triumphant return to the top of the charts.
The documentary sees Kylie sitting in a longtime friend’s apartment in Paris. She sifts through her archives, revealing never-before-seen personal photographs and home videos. “I’d come across archive after archive for months and months,” she told HELLO!. She added that often unmarked video tapes “from God knows when” would spark memories and that she would quickly have to set up the camera to film her reaction. “I think we had some lucky breaks along the way.”
Release Date and Where to Watch
Kylie premiered on Netflix on May 15, 2026. All three episodes are available to stream now. The documentary is produced by Lightbox in association with Netflix.
Source
Stark, George. “Kylie Minogue opens up about ex Michael Hutchence – and why she’s still ‘navigating’ her cancer battle 20 years on.” HELLO! Magazine, May 18, 2026.
