 Donna Freedman is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours , played by Margot Robbie . Believing she had performed badly in the audition , Robbie went on holiday to Canada . She then learned she had won the part and had to return to Australia to begin filming . She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 2 June 2008 . Donna was initially introduced as a guest character , but Robbie was promoted to the regular cast shortly after she made her debut . In April 2010 , it was revealed that Robbie had told producers she would like to leave when her contract expired at the end of the year . Five months later , it was announced that Robbie had quit Neighbours and she departed on 26 January 2011 . 
