Home and Away airs exit scenes for Irene Roberts on UK screens this week as she heads out of Summer Bay to seek professional help.
The fan favourite is ready to face her demons and stay sober again after falling off the wagon following the recent Bronte Langford storyline.
Irene hit the bottle as she struggled to process the devastating revelation that Bronte had conned her.
Her friends were alarmed to see her drinking socially again, but this was only the half of it as Irene continued to consume worrying amounts of alcohol while alone at home too. This culminated in Irene being admitted to hospital after suffering a nasty fall down the stairs while drunk.
This week, Irene starts to make amends with those who have been affected by her upsetting relapse.
Irene apologises to Marilyn Chambers, Leah Patterson and John Palmer for her behaviour, aware that she has been pushing her friends away while she has been in denial over her drinking.
John, who has been particularly vocal about Irene’s alcohol consumption, is pleased when she confirms that she’s ready to go to rehab.
Irene wastes no time, insisting that she has to go straight away or she’ll chicken out. John agrees to take Irene, pleased to see that she has finally turned a corner.
The emotional scenes mark the final time that Home and Away fans will see Irene for a few months.
Lynne McGranger, who plays Irene, took an extended break from Home and Away this year after being cast in a touring production of comedy theatre show The Grandparents Club in Australia.
Lynne’s new role was announced in January this year and the production ran between May and August.
“[I’ll be going for] just a little while,” Lynne told (via 7 News) at the time, adding that she is “not leaving anything permanently”.
In late August, once the tour was over, Lynne shared the news that she’d had her “toxic overactive thyroid” removed and was recovering in hospital.
Last week, Lynne announced the happy news that she’d returned to filming at Home and Away as she shared a photo of herself with co-stars Ada Nicodemou and Shane Withington, who play Leah and John.
As Home and Away films scenes several months in advance, fans in the UK and Australia won’t see Irene back on screen until 2025.
Lynne also spoke earlier this year about her longer-term future with Home and Away, admitting that she had given some thought to leaving.
Back in May, she explained: “It’s something I’ve mulled over, and it has been in the back of my mind for the last year or two.
“Certainly no date has been set [to leave], but what I love about working on The Grandparents Club and being involved in this wonderful celebration is that it’s taking me back to my roots.”
Harper and Dana Matheson will be staying on as Irene’s lodgers in her absence and, we’re sure, encountering plenty of dramas of their own along the way.
Home and Away airs Irene’s temporary exit scenes tonight (Wednesday, September 25) at 6.30pm on 5STAR and tomorrow (Thursday, September 26) at 1.45pm on Channel 5.