Libby Kennedy (also Kennedy-Fitzgerald) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kym Valentine. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1994. Valentine auditioned for the role when she was 15, and upon being cast as Libby, she relocated from Sydney to Melbourne, where the show is filmed. Libby was introduced along with her parents and brothers during a period of low ratings for the show. Valentine departed on 2 October 2003, before returning for six months the following year and a single episode on 27 July 2005. She returned on a permanent basis on 12 November 2007. Libby's storylines have included being involved in a motorbike accident, the loss of her husband Drew Kirk, giving birth to Ben Kirk, marrying Daniel Fitzgerald and subsequently separating from him. In 2008, Valentine was forced to take sick leave for one month and executive producer, Susan Bower, made the decision to temporarily recast McLeod's Daughters actress Michala Banas in the role for a month. Valentine temporarily left Neighbours in 2010 due to ill health and, after returning to filming briefly, took indefinite leave the following year. Valentine's contract with the series lapsed later in 2011, with Libby having not appeared on-screen since 26 May. Valentine reprised the role for a three-week guest appearance in June 2014, and for the show's final episode on 28 July 2022. Creation and casting In 1994, Neighbours' storyliners decided to introduce the "solid" Kennedy family. They felt that they needed to take the show back to its roots when it seemed that all the houses on Ramsay Street were populated with misfits and distant relatives. The show was also suffering from low ratings, and the Kennedys were brought in to "bring a fresh burst of energy". Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne were cast as Karl Kennedy and Susan Kennedy, with Benjamin McNair and Jesse Spencer cast as brothers Malcolm Kennedy and Billy Kennedy. The role of the Kennedy's daughter went to actress Kym Valentine. She first auditioned for the role of Libby when she was 15 in her home town of Sydney. She recalled: "I'd been in Home and Away, and in a sitcom called My Two Wives, but Neighbours was a much bigger thing. For starters, it is filmed in Melbourne, so getting the part meant that I had to move there. I didn't know anyone at