{"id":465881,"date":"2026-05-25T07:51:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T07:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/465881\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T07:51:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T07:51:14","slug":"home-and-aways-lynne-mcgranger-reveals-sad-reality-behind-her-final-storyline-about-issue-affecting-older-aussies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/465881\/","title":{"rendered":"Home and Away’s Lynne McGranger reveals ‘sad’ reality behind her final storyline about issue affecting older Aussies"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was sad to say goodbye to Lynne McGranger<\/a>\u2019s Home and Away character last year, as she had portrayed Irene Roberts for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n

The actor has now thanked the writers<\/a> of the long-running soap opera for sending her off into the sunset<\/a> with a poignant final storyline.<\/p>\n

For those who don\u2019t remember, Irene gets diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease<\/a>, which typically presents in people over 65<\/a>.<\/p>\n

She leaves Summer Bay<\/a> to travel the world and live out her latter days as best she can while she can.<\/p>\n

Lynne told TV Week<\/a> that she and the writers \u201cwanted to do justice\u201d to the disease that more than 400,000 Aussies<\/a> have.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/p>\n

She revealed the idea for Irene\u2019s exit actually came from the mum of fellow Home and Away star Jess Redmayne (Harper Matheson), who was diagnosed with early-onset dementia in her 50s.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Jess\u2019s mum] was my age,\u201d Lynne shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was beautifully done, and it made me very happy because of that, but it was also incredibly sad.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Lynne heard about that, she felt that would be the perfect way for Irene to leave Summer Bay with dignity.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story? Email stewperrie@gmail.com<\/p>\n

What was Irene Roberts\u2019 final Home and Away storyline?<\/p>\n

Last year, Lynne joked she would have been happy with a much more traditional soap opera exit like being \u201chit by a bus\u201d.<\/p>\n

But she said that was \u201ctoo simple\u201d and her character, who had been on the Channel 7 show for 32 years, deserved more.<\/p>\n

Lynne felt it was a \u201cpositive message\u201d for the audience to see someone using her time \u201cthe best she can\u201d as there was a sense of \u201congoingness\u201d rather than her being killed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted the lead-up to her exit to be something that could be experienced by the audience as well,\u201d she told Yahoo Lifestyle<\/a> in August.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like the whole Alzheimer\u2019s dementia thing hasn’t really been touched on or dealt with much on Australian television, because it is a sensitive subject, and I just think the writers and the producers have done such an honourable job with it. They\u2019ve really treated it with delicacy and with honesty, and that’s what we wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she struggled to film those final scenes, which she described as \u201cincredibly difficult\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the final episode, Irene\u2019s closest friends decide to throw her a farewell party that was filled with speeches and even a musical performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAda [Nicodemou] was sobbing and Shane [Withington], I think, is still in denial,\u201d she told TV Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were the hardest to tell that I was leaving, but I know we\u2019ll always be friends beyond Home And Away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lynne<\/p>\n

Lynne McGranger said those final scenes of Home and Away were very difficult to film.<\/p>\n

What is Lynne McGranger doing now?<\/p>\n

Lynne has now jumped into a very different arena compared to the Channel 7 show.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s traded networks and is one of several Aussie stars exploring the scariest predator in the ocean.<\/p>\n

Shark is set to premiere later this month, and Lynne stars alongside Olympian Ariarne Titmus , influencer and businesswoman Tammy Hembrow, The Block host Scott Cam, ex-NRL player Sam Thaiday, and actor Matt Nable .<\/p>\n

\"These<\/p>\n

These six Aussie stars will come face-to-face with sharks for Channel 9’s new reality series.<\/p>\n

(Channel 9)<\/p>\n

Channel 9 said the reality series takes the celebrities \u201cout of their comfort zones\u201d by putting them through a series of shark-related challenges designed to \u201ctest their courage, resilience and push them to their mental and physical limits\u201d.<\/p>\n

Lynne can be seen in one of the promos getting medical attention while someone says, \u201cWe’re going to have to abort the dive\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stakes rise with each escalating task, taking them from the safety of a cage to a daunting, open-water swim with one of the ocean’s most formidable, feared and misunderstood apex predators, the tiger shark,\u201d Nine said about the show.<\/p>\n

It premieres on May 31 on Channel 9 and 9Now.<\/p>\n

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