2001–2007: Acting career and Neighbours McIntosh's acting debut was in the film
The Wilde Girls (2001) as Carrie, alongside
Olivia Newton-John. She followed this with a role on Australian children's television show
The Legacy of the Silver Shadow (2002). In March 2003, McIntosh signed a three-year contract to appear in the Australian soap opera
Neighbours. Her half-brother, Jason Donovan, had also acted in
Neighbours from 1986 to 1989.
2004–2007: Music career McIntosh's music career began in 2004 when her version of the song "
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" was included on the album
The Spirit of Christmas 2004. She recorded her debut demo single, "Happiest Day of My Life", in March 2005. In April 2006, McIntosh signed a multi-album deal with
Universal Music Australia. The two years that McIntosh spent making the album was turned into a reality TV show
The Steph Show, produced by Tom Nichols and Arnon Woolfson. The show debuted on
Network Ten on 28 July 2006, the day before the release of her debut single, "
Mistake", and finished on 15 September 2006, the date the music video for her second single
Tightrope was released. Her debut single, "Mistake", was released on 29 July 2006 and premiered on Australian radio on 26 June 2006. It debuted on the
ARIA Charts at No. 3, and was certified Gold in August 2006, with shipments of over 35,000 units. "Tightrope", the second single to be lifted off the album, made the Australian top 20. The album debuted and peaked at No. 4 on the ARIA Charts and at No. 1 on the Australasian Charts and was also accredited Gold. The third single, written by McIntosh, "
So Do I Say Sorry First?", was not as successful as her previous singles, peaking at number No. 34 on the
ARIA Singles Chart. A special re-packaged edition of the album
Tightrope was released on 19 March 2007. At her appearance on
Habbo Hotel on 8 March 2007 McIntosh confirmed that the re-packaged edition will feature remixes of the singles released from
Tightrope as well as the bonus track "Catching My Breath". She also confirmed that a second season of
The Steph Show was in the pipeline. In mid-May 2007, she released her demo single, "In My Skin". McIntosh was also nominated for "Spankin' New Artist" at the
2006 MTV Australia Video Music Awards, at which she also performed "So Do I Say Sorry First?" McIntosh performed at university bars and nightclubs across the UK from September to November 2007 to build her popularity there.
2008–present: Further acting roles McIntosh was approached in 2008 to appear on
Dancing with the Stars in Australia; however, she has not appeared in the series. In May 2008, the
Herald Sun reported that McIntosh had been in Los Angeles, meeting with potential agents and managers. She auditioned for roles in
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), the
CBS mini-series ''
Harper's Island, and Beverly Hills, 90210'', but failed to secure them. McIntosh appeared in the thriller
Liars All (2013) as Casey Kass, and in
Red Herring (2014) as Charlie, which co-starred former
Neighbours castmate
Holly Valance. McIntosh reprised the role of Sky Mangel in
Neighbours for one episode in 2015, as part of the show's 30th-anniversary celebrations. She was heavily pregnant at the time, and her return had initially been set up as a one-month role. After a five-year acting career hiatus, McIntosh reprised her role on
Neighbours as Sky Mangel on a recurring basis in 2020. Sky also appeared in the
last-ever episode, broadcast on 29 July 2022, though McIntosh was not seen in the UK broadcast. She returned to Neighbours briefly on 3 July 2024. == Personal life ==