Home and Away spoilers follow, referencing some episodes which haven’t yet aired on Channel 5 in the UK.
Home and Away is over for another year but we’re not quite done with Summer Bay for 2024 just yet.
With the beachside soap now on its annual break in both the UK and Australia, we’ve been busy reflecting on the cast exits that took place throughout this year.
It was a quieter year for show regulars bowing out, with guest stars often stepping in to provide some of the more explosive exits instead.
Even so, here’s our reminder of the most notable departures this year and the reasons the various cast bowed out. You can also check out our collection of 7 huge Home and Away spoilers for 2025.
Courtney Clarke (Valerie Beaumont)
Courtney Clarke played the role of Valerie Beaumont for a three-month guest stint this year.
Valerie was introduced as a woman who’d befriended Leah Patterson at a mental health clinic. Once in the Bay, she forged a romantic connection with Leah’s nephew Theo Poulos and took him down a dark path by influencing him to use drugs.
The storyline ended when Valerie and Theo’s troubling secret was revealed. Theo’s concerned family encouraged Valerie to leave the Bay and she complied, regretting the problems that she’d caused for everyone.
Valerie’s short-lived time in the Bay was no real surprise, as Courtney’s role in Home and Away had always been billed as a short guest stint.
Catherine Văn-Davies (Stevie Marlow)
Catherine Văn-Davies also joined the Home and Away cast this year for a finite guest stint playing movie star Stevie Marlow.
When Cash turned his back on the police force and moved into private security work, Stevie hired him to be her bodyguard as she was living in fear of a dangerous stalker.
This was one Summer Bay saga which certainly didn’t have a happy ending, as the stalker was later released from prison and gunned Stevie down on the beach, killing her.
As Stevie was never a show regular, it seems that show bosses always had the plot twist in mind as part of a tragic year of storylines they had planned for poor old Cash.
Dion Williams (Iluka Hudson)
Home and Away delved deeper into Mali Hudson’s family backstory this year by casting Dion Williams as the surf shop owner’s older brother Iluka.
Bad boy Iluka brought trouble to the Bay when it was revealed that he’d stolen money from the dangerous Allen family, who arrived in town to settle the score with some brutal tactics.
After his presence in the Bay briefly sent Mali off the rails, Iluka returned home to Mantaray Point at the end of his month-long guest stint.
Kyle Shilling, who plays Mali, clearly embraced the on-screen drama as he posted on Instagram at the time: “This storyline is something else, be sure you watch.”
Stefanie Caccamo (Bronte Langford)
Stefanie Caccamo played one of the year’s most controversial characters, as her scheming alter ego Bronte Langford arrived in town to fake a terminal illness and scam Irene Roberts out of her life savings.
Fans had a mixed reaction as Bronte spent a long month playing Summer Bay’s residents for total fools, so it was only ever a matter of time before she’d get caught out and brought to justice – even if it did leave Irene’s life in tatters.
Joshua Orpin (Rory Templeton)
Titans actor Joshua Orpin joined Home and Away with great fanfare this year as the Summer Bay soap excitedly promoted the return of the River Boys with a new leader, Rory Templeton.
While Rory proved popular with fans, his stay in the Bay proved short-lived as he was later arrested for the murder of Mangrove River police officer Franklin McGrath.
Show bosses had seemingly kept quiet about the short duration of Rory’s stint to protect the storyline twist.
Joshua later posted on Instagram: “Tonight we say goodbye to Rory as he departs Summer Bay for greener pastures… And by greener pastures, I mean the oppressive concrete pastures of a tiny prison cell.
“I’d be lying if I said he doesn’t entirely deserve it! Nonetheless, I hope you’ve enjoyed having him around these past few weeks.”
Jacqui Purvis (Felicity Newman)
Home and Away favourite Jacqui Purvis was one of two regular cast members who said goodbye to the soap in 2024.
Her character Felicity Newman took centre stage in heartbreaking scenes, as she suffered a brain aneurysm during her brother Cash and best friend Eden’s engagement party.
At the hospital, Felicity later suffered a second aneurysm and doctors insisted that her life support machines would have to be turned off, as nothing more could be done to help her.
Jacqui later told Yahoo Australia: “I’ve had an incredible time on the show. Some of the best years of my life. However, I knew I wanted an international career, so I had to make the decision to leave and take the plunge.”
Lynne McGranger (Irene Roberts)
While Home and Away legend Lynne McGranger hasn’t left the soap, she took a long break from filming this year to go on tour with theatre show The Grandparents Club.
Lynne’s character Irene Roberts was written out for a stint in rehab, as she’d relapsed with her alcoholism after being conned by soap villain Bronte.
The good news is that Lynne returned to filming in September 2024 and will be back on our screens next year.
Speaking in May about her long-term future on Home and Away, Lynne admitted: “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.”
Matthew Holmes (Carl Hayes)
Sea Patrol actor Matthew Holmes joined Home and Away for a short guest run as Perri Hayes’ abusive father Carl this year.
The villain only appeared in a half-dozen episodes before being dramatically killed off during a disturbing showdown with his son in the Paratas’ backyard pool.
While it was only a short run for Carl, he did have the honour of taking centre stage in the UK end-of-year cliffhanger – written in specially to give Channel 5 viewers a dramatic conclusion to the year.
Cantona Stewart (Perri Hayes)
Perri Hayes was at the centre of the action on UK screens before Home and Away went on its Channel 5 break, but he’s already bowed out on Australian screens.
A few weeks ago, Aussie fans saw Perri make his way out of Summer Bay as his storyline with mentor Tane Parata reached its conclusion.
Cantona Stewart, who played Perri, had always been billed as a guest cast member who’d stick around for a few months before leaving again.
Speaking to Now To Love, Cantona later said: “You can only dream of having the chance to work on what most would say is the pinnacle and pillar of TV.
“To receive that phone call to say you’re moving to Sydney to work on Home and Away was numbing. I’ll treasure the whole experience for the entirety of my career.”
Luke Van Os (Xander Delaney)
Home and Away star Luke Van Os was the second regular cast member to bow out in 2024. His exit scenes aired in Australia earlier this month, although he hasn’t yet left on UK screens.
Luke’s character Xander Delaney headed out of the Bay to take on a six-week work placement in Melbourne as part of his business management course.
Although Xander promised his girlfriend Dana Matheson that he’d be back, the signs aren’t looking good as Luke hasn’t been seen filming for the show for several months.
With no exit interview yet, there’s no official confirmation on why Luke left but he did play the role for nearly three years – which is a fairly standard run for Home and Away regulars in the younger cast.
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.45pm on Channel 5, with repeat screenings at 6pm on 5STAR and first-look screenings at 6.30pm on 5STAR. Selected classic episodes are available via Prime Video in the UK.