Home and Away star Georgie Parker has spoken about her future on the soap, sharing one particular factor that has kept her on the show for so long.
Parker, who has played Roo Stewart for 14 years, told Woman’s Day that there are three “major” things that keep her love for Summer Bay alive.
“It’s the cast and the crew,” she said. “And then I get to come home every night, because usually, if you get a gig, you’ll spend three months in another state.”
Adding that she values staying close to home and being “accessible to my family”, she said: “My life is more important to me than my work. I love my work, and I wouldn’t be who I am without it, I’m someone who needs to be busy.
“But I don’t define myself by the work I do. I really define myself by my relationships and my family, and that’s the most important thing to me.”
The actor, who is also known for her previous roles in All Saints and A Country Practice, revealed that the third thing that keeps her love for her job alive is her on-screen father, Ray Meagher, who plays Alf Stewart.
“While Ray’s on it, I’ll be on it – he’s kind of why I joined, and he’s why I stay,” she said.
Parker is due to take a break from Home and Away next year as she stars in two theatre productions in Brisbane and Sydney.
The star previously explained that she appreciates having the opportunity to take breaks from her soap role to explore other projects, saying that she is “very grateful I get the freedom to do both”.
“The writers have to keep writing me out of the show so I can come and go – to do the plays and other little gigs here and there, so I don’t envy them having to do that,” she said.
“I think it’s important, at this time in my career, that I get to explore all the options of working with people I’ve worked with for 40 years.”
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.
In Australia, the show airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7pm on Channel 7 and streams on 7Plus.