Home and Away will welcome new guest character Valerie in the coming weeks, played by Hi-5 actress Courtney Clarke.
Leah (Ada Nicodemou), who is returning to Summer Bay this week following her release from the mental health center where she has been spending the last few weeks, will have a close relationship with the character.
According to Courtney Clarke, who made the revelation in an interview with an Australian magazine that was later shared on Home and Away’s Instagram, Valerie is expected to “cause a few waves” when she gets to the beach town.
Courtney says, “I thought Valerie was a really dynamic character when I read the brief.” “And above all, I enjoy portraying characters who are the most unlike me.”
Usually blonde Courtney was asked to dye her hair “either dark or Jessica Chastain red” for the role, which she saw as a “good omen,” considering she had been considering doing so for a number of years.
Valerie is expected to make her debut on Australian screens in the coming weeks, and should arrive on UK screens in March.
7News reveals that she has been working closely with actors Ada Nicodemou, James Stewart (Justin) and Matt Evans (Theo).
“I remember having no idea how the ship ran because it’s such a longstanding show, there are all sorts of things regarding how they shoot,” she told 7NEWS.com.au.
“Ada was great, she was cracking jokes between every take and I remember thinking that she seemed so relaxed.
“It wasn’t until we got in the car to travel back from a shoot that I realised she was doing it all to make me feel comfortable.
“She’s incredibly intelligent, some of the things we were talking about I was thinking, ‘how does this little, full-of-energy woman know all this super smart nerdy stuff?’”
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The Australian children’s show Hi-5 and the more contemporary Paramount+ drama Paper Dolls are Courtney’s most well-known roles.
She also disclosed that she had tried out for several roles on Home and Away before Valerie. The 25-year-old acknowledges that “it was all pretty new at that point” and that she “probably didn’t have a clue what [she] was doing” when she made her initial audition for the show when she was either 18 or 19.
Soon after, the cast of Home and Away welcomed her to the program on Instagram.
Juliet Godwin said, “Gawgus gal, welcome to the bay.” Ada Nicodemou remarked, “The Bay isn’t ready! Welcome to the Bay, beautiful girl, and thank you for the warm remarks.” Tristan Gorey, who played Levi, added, “
Stephanie Panozzo (Eden) commented “yeahhh babeesss ”, her fellow Lyrik co-star Angelina Thompson wrote “Hey girl heyyyyy ”, while Kyle Shilling (Mali) asked, “Will @courtneyclarke__” be trouble or an absolute gem Welcome legend ”
While Valerie may be the first new face for 2024, she certainly won’t be the last. We already know that the show has a new love interest lined up for Bree (Juliet Godwin), despite her currently being in a relationship with Remi (Adam Rowland).
A fan of the show who watched filming at Palm Beach recently saw Juliet Godwin kissing another actor, suggesting that we’re just months away from a Bree and Remi split.
The as-yet-unknown character is believed to be played by Perth-born actor Mahesh Jadu, who previously played recurring character Dr Doug Harris in Neighbours between 2010 and 2011, and Ahmad in the Netflix series Marco Polo.
Mahesh is followed on social media by a number of Home and Away‘s cast and crew, including Juliet Godwin, Jacqui Purvis and Stephanie Panozzo.
The reason behind Bree and Remi’s breakup is still unknown, although in the season finale, they were shown reuniting, and Bree overcame her phobia of motorcycles by going outside of Summer Bay.
Remi was therefore compelled to inform Bree that if she left Australia to work for Doctors Without Borders, he would not accompany her. Will their disagreements about starting over overseas cause them to part ways?
Later this year, Matt Shirvington, the former Olympian who co-presents Sunrise, Seven’s early breakfast show, is also scheduled to make an appearance.
“I’m so excited to take a trip to Summer Bay and be a part of Australia’s most iconic show, a show I watched as a kid,” Shirvington told the Telegraph.
“To be in a scene with Ray Meagher is so surreal, everyone loves Alf. I’ve been practising my lines, Ray has given me a few tips and I think I’m ready for my acting debut – playing myself – what could possibly go wrong?”
Matt competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, as well as the 1998 and 2006 Commonwealth Games, and held the Australian 100m national sprint title from 1998 to 2002.
We’re also set for at least one big returnee, as Tori Morgan (Penny McNamee) heads back to the bay for a short stint.
Penny, who plays Tori on the show from 2016 to 2021, was recently sighted by fans of the show at Sydney’s Palm Beach, where the show films the exterior shots that make up Summer Bay.
Enthusiast Joy When Oliver had the good fortune to meet Penny, she informed her that Tori, her character, would return to television “in a few weeks,” sparking rumors that she would be attending her brother’s wedding to Leah.
One of the scenes filmed saw Tori talking with Justin as they walked up to Eden (Stephanie Panozzo) and Remi (Adam Rowland).
Since her departure, Penny hasn’t considered Summer Bay to be a distant memory. Penny has been writing scripts for Home and Away for the past year; she has written four of the show’s episodes that have aired.
Tori left Summer Bay in September 2021 with her new husband Christian Green (Ditch Davey) and daughter Grace, capping an exciting five years in the community.
