Kylie Minogue Opens Up on Michael Hutchence Split: “He Was Like a Broken Man”

Kylie Minogue has revisited her relationship with INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, revealing why the romance that changed her life ultimately fell apart.

Speaking in the 2019 documentary Mystify: Michael Hutchence and again in her new Netflix series Kylie, the pop icon said their split came down to a mix of relentless touring, personal struggles, and distance.

“Doomed” From the Start

Minogue and Hutchence dated for two years from 1989 to 1991, after meeting backstage at an INXS gig. At the time, she was transitioning from Neighbours soap star to global pop sensation, while Hutchence was at the height of INXS’s fame.

But the fairytale didn’t last. Looking back, Minogue called the relationship “doomed” and admitted she still doesn’t know the exact reason it ended.

“Was it work? Was it drugs? I don’t know. He was like a broken man,” she said in Mystify. Hutchence had long struggled with addiction, depression, and mental health issues, which his family and friends noted had worsened in the years before his death in 1997.

Distance and Devastation

Their punishing schedules played a major role. Hutchence was touring worldwide with INXS, while Minogue was building her solo career. The couple found it increasingly hard to see each other, relying on video messages that became less frequent over time.

“Michael was touring all over the world, so it became really hard to see each other. I would send video messages to him, but it became more and more difficult,” Minogue recalled.

She described the breakup as her first real heartbreak. “He was the first in so many ways. And of those firsts was heartbreak. I was devastated,” she said. In one particularly painful memory, she flew from Japan to New York to end things, only to find Hutchence “on all fours on the floor crying.”

A Love She’s Never Found Again

The relationship had a profound impact on Minogue. Hutchence encouraged her to shed her “singing budgie” image and embrace a more authentic, sensual version of herself—something that shaped her career for decades.

Even now, she says she’s been searching for that same connection. “It was definitely an amazing point in time and I’ve probably been looking for something like that ever since – and I haven’t got it,” she shared in her Netflix documentary.

Moving Forward

After their split, Hutchence briefly dated Helena Christensen, while Minogue went on to have several high-profile relationships, including an engagement to Joshua Sasse in 2016 and a relationship with Paul Solomons until 2023.

She remains close to Hutchence’s memory and attended his funeral after he died by suicide in 1997.

Now 57 and single, Minogue says she’s comfortable on her own and more selective about relationships. “Narcissists… I’ve dated one and I’m grateful I now have that knowledge. That’s my red-hot ‘no’,” she told The Sunday Times.

For fans, Minogue’s reflections offer a rare, candid look at a romance that shaped her personally and artistically—even if the ending was heartbreak.