Home and Away stars Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor have left the show
Real-life Home and Away couple Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor reveal why they left the long-running soap: ‘About time’
Home and Away stars Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor have revealed why they left the show after months of speculation about their future.
The couple, who are a couple in real life, ended their time on the series after six years.
Speaking to TV Week on Monday, Sophie said the couple’s characters had run out of steam after a long screen career..
Sophie, who plays Ziggy Astoni, said: “We both did our best with our characters and it was time to start a new chapter.”
He called the move “emotional” but said the couple was ready for a new challenge.
Home and Away stars Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor revealed why they left Home and Away to TV Week on Monday saying: “About time.” both in the photo
“It’s bittersweet and emotional, but we realize how lucky we are to have had such an incredible career,” he added.
Patrick, who plays Dean Thompson on the show, added that the series has been a big part of his life after starting at the age of 24.
‘It’s a big commitment and a big part of my life. I felt like I became six different people in the time we were there,” she said.
“There is a lot of growth as an actor and as a person. It’s a great place to work, but I was ready [to move on].’
The couple have battled rumors for months that they were leaving the show, including around New Years when Sophie said she needed time to recharge.
Sophie, who plays Ziggy Astoni, said: “We both did our best with our characters and it was time to start a new chapter.” here with patrick
Speaking to Yahoo in December, Sophie said she wanted find ‘joy’ and ‘focus on being happy’ in the coming year.
‘My New Year’s resolution is to find joy. I think next year I really want to focus on being happy, doing things that I love and doing things for myself,” she said.
Sophie added that she needs time to recharge after working through the pandemic.
A new group photo posted by Home and Away actress Lynne McGranger on her Instagram teases next season did not include the couple (pictured)
“After working so hard for so many years, I want to focus a bit on myself,” he added.
It followed a group photo posted by Lynne McGranger in which she teased that the upcoming season would not include the couple.
Lynne, who plays Irene on the Channel Seven show, told fans on her Instagram that the love-loving couple filmed their last scenes in August.
The actress was responding to the comments after eagle-eyed followers noticed that Sophie and Patrick were “missing” from the cast photo.
Sophie and her boyfriend Patrick play Dean Thompson and Ziggy Astoni on screen and also enjoy an off screen romance Pictured: The couple sharing a scene in Home and Away