Time has come to say goodbye to two of the Bay’s finest – Ziggy and Dean are leaving! (Picture: Channel 5 / Endemol Shine)
Home and Away will lose two of the greatest characters in the coming months, with Ziggy Astoni (Sophie Dillman) and Dean Thompson (Patrick O’Connor) set to say goodbye.
No, you’re crying.
It’s been an eventful year for the pair after Ziggy, hot off winning a surf competition, discovered that she was pregnant.
Despite her initial concerns, she confided in Dean and, together, the couple decided to embark on this new adventure, becoming parents as they welcomed their baby girl in touching scenes, which actress Sophie Dillman told Metro.co.uk she loved filming.
Ziggy, however, struggles with motherhood in the coming episodes, with next week’s visits to the Bay set to see her disappear in the middle of night, leaving Dean alone with their little one.
‘As we saw, Ziggy wasn’t necessarily interested in getting pregnant at that stage, so it was a big shock,’ Sophie said. ‘She did embrace it, but – like so many people– she struggles with connecting with her baby, lack of sleep, hormone changes and everything in-between.
Dean and Ziggy welcomed a baby girl (Picture: Seven / Endemol Shine)
‘She’s really scared, alone and didn’t have her own mother there, even though Karen is fantastic. She’s lost for a while. She’s lucky to have Dean around and Karen to help her, but she struggles a lot.
‘Becoming a new mum or dad is probably the hardest thing you could do with your life, so I’m not surprised that a lot of people really take a while to adapt.
‘I felt really honoured to be able to tell that story, and hopefully tell it as honestly as possible because it’s such a common thing – and can be such a scary thing for so many people, so it really needs to be spoken about more.’
Dean is determined to help Ziggy (Picture: Seven / Endemol Shine)
Ziggy is subsequently located and opens up to Dean about her struggles, with Dean resolving to support her evert step of the way.
The couple, according to star Patrick O’Connor, will enjoy one of their best periods together in the coming weeks, ahead of their exit storyline, which will kick off sooner rather than later.
‘It’s a really nice period for Ziggy and Dean,’ he told us, describing what UK fans have in store over the next few weeks.
‘If there was a time for the fans to tune in and see something that will make themselves feel better about [what’s coming], this is it, I reckon.’
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Sophie, meanwhile, said that filming her final scenes were ‘heartbreaking’, and that she ‘cried every single day’ that she was on set for the last month of filming.
‘It was hard’, added Patrick. ‘It was very difficult at the end of it.’
Home and Away air weekdays at 1:45pm on Channel 5, with first look episodes airing at 6:30pm on 5Star.
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Time to say goodbye to two of Summer Bay’s finest, and we caught up with actors Paddy O’Connor and Sophie Dillman to discuss the emotional scenes.