Lynne McGranger’s first post Home and Away television gig was meant to be the adventure of a lifetime but New Idea can reveal that things took a terrifying turn.
New Idea has heard whispers that the 72-year-old had to pull out of filming her wild new reality series mid-way through production, after suffering a medical emergency while shooting overseas.
The yet-to-air Channel Nine show, currently titled Shark!, sees a group of brave Aussie celebrities travel to the Bahamas to come face-to-face with some of the ocean’s most feared predators.
But insiders say the high-stakes series quickly became “too real” when Lynne’s health took a sudden turn.
“Everyone knew the show would be intense but no-one expected something like this to happen,” a source tells New Idea.
Lynne had signed on alongside a headline-making line-up including footy favourite Sam Thaiday, The Block host Scott Cam, influencer Tammy Hembrow, Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus and actor Matt Nable.
But behind the scenes, production was thrown into chaos as Lynne’s condition unfolded.
According to sources, her involvement had been quietly delayed from being officially announced. Producers waited to determine whether Lynne had filmed enough content to be left in the edit, and whether or not her reason for exiting could be kept in and turned into a storyline.
“It was all very up in the air,” says the insider. “They didn’t know if Lynne would be able to return to set, so everything was being kept under wraps.”
While details surrounding the medical incident remain unclear, New Idea hears Lynne was unable to complete filming. This left producers scrambling to figure out how her storyline would fit into the final edit.
The shock development has also raised concerns about just how far the show is pushing its celebrity cast.
“Swimming with sharks is already a huge ask,” the source adds. “But when something like this happens, it really puts things into perspective.
“Reality TV is supposed to be fun. But this pushed things to the limit.”
Known for her warmth and resilience, Lynne has long been a fan favourite making the news all the more concerning.
Despite her time on Shark! being cut short, Lynne is putting on a brave face publicly and throwing her support behind the series.
When her casting was initially announced in February, she took to Instagram, writing, “If someone had told me I’d be swimming with sharks… I would have laughed.”
Find out more about SHARK! here.
