Natalie Bassingthwaighte left heartbroken as she is left without a job: 'It's hard to comprehend!'

Natalie Bassingthwaighte has spoken out about her heartbreak after the Broadway musical she was starring in was abruptly cancelled, leaving her without a job.

The veteran Australian actress, 50, was starring in the lead role of the popular musical Waitress, which was officially axed on Sunday evening midway through its Australian run.

The Wollongong-born performer shared a statement to social media on Tuesday in which she revealed she was saddened the musical would not be heading to Sydney as planned, and instead would end after its run in coming weeks.

'It's taken me a few days to process our show will not be coming to . Three weeks left and then we will be done and dusted... it is hard to comprehend!' Natalie began.

'The amount of effort that every person in this cast and crew and company have put into this show... It's devastating that it comes to an end so abruptly.' 

Natalie added that the axing particularly hurt given it came shortly after the cancellation of the Australian run of , noting that the performing arts sector in Australia was significantly struggling.

'My heart is hurting so much for this industry, across the board. It's not just musical theatre: It's festivals. It's shows of any kind. The arts is dying in this country, and that hurts my heart beyond anything,' she said. 

The show also featured Australian Idol veteran Rob Mills, who posted his own sad statement to social media on Sunday night.

'Oh s**t. You better come see it and I better look for a job!' Rob wrote, after it was announced the theatre production would end its run on July 19.

Show producer John Frost told The Sydney Morning Herald that the decision to axe the remainder of the run was necessary due to the 'challenging economic conditions currently facing audiences'.

The shock axing comes just months after theatre fans called out Natalie for potentially 'stealing' a role from up-and-coming Aussie actresses.

In February,

The 50-year-old singer starred in the lead role of Jenna – a gifted baker trapped in a cycle of domestic abuse, and is often described in casting notes as being in her 20s or 30s. 

News of the former Neighbours star's casting has received a lukewarm reception from theatregoers, with some claiming the role should have gone to a younger actress.