Happy Birthday Kylie

As the ever youthful-looking Ms Minogue turns 55 (yes, really!) we chart the success of the diminutive Australian star

Ramsay Street To International Star

It was through her role as the feisty mechanic Charlene Mitchell in the hit Australian soap opera Neighbours that Kylie became a household name. The 1987 episode featuring Charlene's wedding to Jason Donovan's Scott Robinson attracted ratings-busting audiences in Australia and the UK. Her debut single The Loco-Motion was swiftly released in Australia and, fuelled by its success, the 19-year-old travelled to London in October 1987 to launch her UK career with song-writing and production supremos Stock, Aitken and Waterman.

It was an unpromising start, though. Despite her success in Australia, the trio made her kick her heels for a week before meeting her to work on I Should Be So Lucky. "We had to get the song together in about 40 minutes and she left not having had a happy experience," Mike Stock later reflected.