Irene comes to Bella’s rescue
AS ONLINE GROOMING BECOMES A REALITY FOR BELLA, LYNNE MCGRANGER TELLS US HOW PROTECTIVE HER ALTER EGO CAN GET…
Irene has a long history of helping troubled young girls – but Bella is proving herself to be the toughest of the lot! From assaulting her brother to lashing out at her friends, Bella is trouble with a capital ‘T’ – and she’s now revealing her personal details to someone online, with devastating consequences. As we talk to Lynne Mcgranger, who plays Irene, she reveals just how bad it’s about to get for her over-protective character…
“It was Roo who introduced Bella to an online group where they discuss their studies,” explains Lynne. “So
Irene doesn’t really think anything of it – which is interesting, as I think there are many parents out there who let their children go online and don’t think much of it. Irene hasn’t suspected something’s up – even when Bella makes excuses not to go to Robbo and Jasmine’s wedding, she still doesn’t really make anything of it.”
It’s not long before Tommy turns up at Bella’s front door, and with everyone else out at the wedding, it’s soon clear just how dangerous this situation is. Although fortunately for Bella, Irene comes back early to check on her.
“Tommy’s on top of Bella, and as soon as Irene sees it, her instincts kick in,” says Lynne. “She picks up the nearest thing and whacks him! Irene and Bella escape and run into the kitchen, but Tommy follows them holding his head.”
Lynne reveals that the explosive scene doesn’t stop there – with Irene’s awful past coming back to haunt her…
“What happens next is something that no one could have foreseen,” clarifies Lynne. “When Irene was 14, she was severely abused by a friend of the family. So when Tommy says to Bella, ‘Don’t call the police, this will
just be our little secret’, that triggers something in Irene about her past.
She picks up the nearest thing and basically bludgeons him with it!
“Filming was full-on!” adds the star. “It was intense too, but Adam Sollis, who plays Tommy, was fabulous.”
Despite Irene being a much-loved character in Summer Bay for years, even Lynne’s not completely certain as to how people will react to her actions.
“I was thinking about that the other day,” she tells us. “And I thought people would probably understand because they know Irene’s past too. I’m not saying they would condone it, but they would get it. I hope the audience will understand and be sympathetic as this story has lots of twists and turns.”
Lynne also confesses that she’s loving working with Courtney Miller, who plays Bella, and shares that she’s very unlike her delinquent alter ego.
“Courtney is beautiful in nature and a wonderful actress,” she gushes. “We always joke that she’s 23 going on 40, and I’m 56 going on 13. I’m not a naturally maternal person, but there’s something with Courtney that’s brought it out. I adore all the girls on the show at the moment, including
Sam Frost [Jasmine] and Sarah Roberts [Willow]. But Courtney is a very special young girl with a beautiful heart.”