10 Totally True Facts About… Rebekah Elmaloglou (Neighbours’ Terese)
lnsidesoap YOUR BRIEFING ON THE STAR BEHIND NEIGHBOURS’ TERESE…
1 Rebekah Sophie Elmaloglou was born on 23 January 1974
in Sydney, Australia to parents Gregory and Theresa. Rebekah’s Greek father played the cello in the Sydney Symphony
Orchestra, while her English mother worked as a primary school teacher. Rebekah grew up with her three brothers, leaving school at
15 to pursue a career in acting.
2 Acting throughout her childhood,
Rebekah enjoyed roles in 80s blockbuster Mad
Max Beyond Thunderdome and Aussie kids’ TV shows such as Adventures On Kythera. “I’ve been acting since I was about seven,” shares Rebekah. “When I was around 15, I left school and travelled to Greece to work on a children’s TV series – it was on my return that I had the audition for Home and Away, and I got it.”
3 The star joined Home and Away as shoplifter Sophie Simpson
in 1990. The teen dated David Croft (played by Guy Pearce) and gave birth to their daughter Tamara after David was killed in a car crash. Struggling to cope, she moved to Perth with her baby and David’s mum. Sophie returned a few years later, and had a son with old flame Blake Dean, before taking off again.
4
In 2013, Rebekah joined Neighbours as Terese Willis.
The feisty businesswoman arrived with husband Brad and their kids Imogen and Josh – joined later by youngest daughter Piper. Sadly, Terese and Brad’s marriage foundered once Brad discovered that he had a long-lost daughter with his ex Lauren Carpenter, who lived across the street! The revelation brought Brad and Lauren closer again, and the pair had sex – prompting Terese to end the marriage. She was struck by further tragedy when Josh was killed, as well as coping with alcoholism and breast cancer. More recently, Terese has been romanced by both Paul and his son Leo!
5 Acting runs in the Elmaloglou family,
since Rebekah’s three brothers also act and have appeared in Home and Away. “My eldest brother, Peter, was an extra and was terrible!” laughs Rebekah. “He once interrupted me in the middle of a scene when I was waiting for Craig Mclachlan to talk to me. Dominic had a large guest role after I left, and Sebastian was a regular for a couple of years [he played the part of Max Sutherland]. He now works in the show’s art department.”
6 Speaking of family, Rebekah’s cousin is Dame Judi Dench!
“She’s a cousin on my mum’s side,” reveals Rebekah. “I’m actually closer with her daughter Finty. I wouldn’t say Judi influenced me as an actor, but I love her work and I’m very proud to call her family. She’s amazing and phenomenal – I think everyone agrees with me on that. She’s such a talented woman.”
7 Rebekah is married to Kane Baker,
having tied the knot in 2009. Their son
Kai was born in 2008, with Rebekah confessing that he also has an interest in acting! “He had a job on a Mcdonald’s ad!” reveals the star. “He auditioned accidentally, as I went for the mother role and didn’t get it, then they asked me if he would like to audition. And Kai got it!”
8 After winning her role as Terese in Neighbours,
Rebekah had to up sticks and relocate over 500 miles away from her home in Sydney, to Melbourne where the soap is filmed. The actress admits that the move wasn’t easy. “It was hard at first because I’m such a Sydney girl,” explains Rebekah. “Moving down there was a very big change, especially because we had to shift the whole family down too.”
9 The star may look small on screen
– and that’s because Rebekah’s tiny! She stands at 5ft, and often wears heels to make her look taller. She also confesses her height has caused logistical problems at work… “I’m so little and Tim [Kano, who plays Leo Tanaka] is so tall!” admitted the star, while Terese and Leo were an item. “I even had to stand on boxes for kissing scenes!”
10 Rebekah’s great friends with her on-screen daughter,
Mavournee Hazel [Piper Willis], with the pair believing they were destined to work together as soon as they met at Mavournee’s audition…
“I think I was quite outspoken about Mav,” laughs Rebekah. “She walked in and it was like, ‘A star is born – and I birthed her!’ The connection was there straight away.” Rebekah even gave a speech at Mavournee’s 21st birthday party. “She’s on my phone as ‘Mama Bek’,” says Mavournee. “Longevity is the word I would use to describe Bek’s career, and that’s exactly what I want.”