For months, fans of Home and Away have been reeling from the devastating 2025 season finale — an episode that didn’t just close a chapter, but ripped the heart out of Summer Bay. Now, for the first time since the shock ending aired, Nicholas Cartwright has spoken openly about the death of Cash Newman and the emotional toll it took on him both on and off screen.

Cash’s final moments were brutal, unexpected, and unforgettable. After years of positioning him as a moral anchor — a protector, a survivor, a man constantly battling the darkness around him — the decision to kill off Cash Newman landed like a thunderclap. For viewers, it was shocking. For Cartwright, it was something else entirely.

“It Felt Like Losing a Part of Myself”

Speaking candidly in a recent interview, Cartwright admitted that Cash’s death wasn’t something he could simply “switch off” once the cameras stopped rolling. He described the storyline as emotionally consuming, revealing that filming the final scenes left him drained in a way he hadn’t experienced before.

Cash wasn’t just another role, Cartwright explained — he was a character shaped by trauma, guilt, loyalty, and love. Over the years, viewers watched Cash struggle with violence, responsibility, and the fear that he could never fully escape his past. To bring that journey to such a final, irreversible end felt, in Cartwright’s words, “like saying goodbye to a version of myself I’d lived with for a long time.”

Why Cash Had to Die

While many fans have questioned why the show chose such a dark ending, Cartwright made it clear that the decision wasn’t made lightly. He revealed that conversations about Cash’s fate had been ongoing behind the scenes, with writers determined to deliver a finale that carried real weight and long-lasting consequences.

“Cash was never meant to go out quietly,” Cartwright said. “If his story was going to end, it had to mean something. It had to hurt. It had to change people.”

And it did. Cash’s death sent shockwaves through Summer Bay, fracturing relationships and leaving emotional scars that will shape the show well into 2026. For viewers, it was a reminder that no one — not even a fan favourite — is ever truly safe.

The Scene That Nearly Broke Him

Cartwright also opened up about filming Cash’s final scene, admitting there was a moment when the weight of it all became overwhelming. Saying goodbye to castmates, crew, and a character he had poured himself into created a strange blur between fiction and reality.

“There was a silence on set I’ll never forget,” he said. “Everyone knew what we were filming. It wasn’t just an ending for Cash — it felt like the end of an era.”

That raw emotion translated powerfully on screen, with fans praising the finale as one of the most intense episodes in recent Home and Away history.

What’s Next for Nicholas Cartwright?

While Cash Newman’s story is over, Cartwright insists this isn’t the end — just a painful turning point. He hinted at new projects on the horizon and expressed gratitude to fans who have flooded social media with messages of support since the finale aired.

Most importantly, he thanked viewers for embracing Cash in all his complexity. “He wasn’t perfect,” Cartwright said. “But he was real. And that’s why his loss hurts.”

As Home and Away prepares for its next chapter, Cash’s shadow will linger over Summer Bay — a reminder that some endings are meant to leave scars. And for Nicholas Cartwright, Cash’s death will remain one of the most powerful, painful, and defining moments of his career.