Naomi Canning

Naomi Canning
Neighbours character
Portrayed by	Morgana O'Reilly
Duration	2014–2015, 2020, 2022
First appearance	25 March 2014 (2014-03-25)
Last appearance	28 July 2022 (2022-07-28)
Classification	Former; regular
Introduced by	Richard Jasek (2014) Jason Herbison (2020)
In-universe information Occupation Executive assistant Wrestling events organiser Father Frank Canning[1] Mother Sheila Canning Brothers Gary Canning Frank Canning Jr.[1] Nephews Kyle Canning

Naomi Canning is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Morgana O'Reilly. Naomi was introduced as the daughter of established character Sheila Canning (Colette Mann) after producers decided they wanted to explore her background further. O'Reilly filmed her first audition in her garden in Sydney, before flying to Melbourne to audition in studio. She competed with five other actresses for the part, but she believed that she was meant to get the role as Naomi is her middle name. A week after the second audition, O'Reilly's agent informed her that she had won the role. O'Reilly then relocated to Melbourne and began filming her first scenes in November 2013. She made her first screen appearance on 25 March 2014. The character departed on 2 October 2015, following O'Reilly's decision to pursue new acting roles. O'Reilly later reprised the role and Naomi returned on 7 May 2020 and appeared in the show's final episode on 28 July 2022.

Naomi is portrayed as being spoilt, sophisticated, quirky and caring. O'Reilly did not think Naomi was truly bad, despite her questionable actions. O'Reilly worked closely with the producers, the costume and make-up departments to find the right look for Naomi, whose style she described as sassy and "quite sexual". Naomi's initial storylines focused on reconciliation with her mother, after they fell out over Naomi's affair with a married man. Naomi then tests one of the serial's established marriages after she develops feelings for Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) and exploits the problems in his marriage. She also engages in a casual relationship with her much younger neighbour, Josh Willis (Harley Bonner). Producers later paired her with Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor) and Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), whom she becomes engaged to. Naomi and her storylines received mostly positive attention from viewers and critics, with one dubbing her "the best new character of the last few years" and another calling her "a breath of fresh air".