From th
e moment Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor first locked eyes, and ultimately lips, on the set of Home and Away, their hearts started beating a little faster.
As their characters Dean and Ziggy fell hard and fast for each other, so did they, rekindling an old friendship into something stronger.
The couple, who left the shores of Summer Bay behind earlier this year to start a new life in London, have grown closer in the years since they first revealed their passion.
These two have been dating for more than four years, and they are stronger than ever—from the world of film to the real world!
Believe it or not, the actors actually had met prior to acting alongside each other on Home and Away.
When did Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor start dating?
Remarkably, Sophie and Patrick had actually met before they began work on the long-running soap opera, so their encounter on the set wasn’t their first.
The 30-year-old said on The Morning Show in March 2021, “We actually knew each other at uni – we went to acting school together years ago.”
“We weren’t really able to see one other at first because we were friends at the time and were in separate years, but we eventually crossed paths on the show. Our characters met on the show, which was convenient.”
In June 2017, Sophie made her Home and Away debut as Ziggy. In February 2018, her future partner Patrick made his on-screen debut.
Although it’s unknown when things between the two officially became official, the up-and-coming young stars made their romance public in September 2019. In the months before, fans and photographers had been spotted the couple out and about on dates.
In her column for Yahoo Lifestyle three years later, Sophie discussed her decision to date her co-star, saying, “We decided to give the relationship a go, and thank goodness we did.”
“We have a few years under our belt, a fur baby, many crazy holiday stories, and have moved across the world,” she stated.
“I’m so glad Dean and Ziggy were able to connect. Few people have such good fortune.”
What have Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor said about their relationship?
Speaking with our sister publication TV Week, Sophie made the unsurprising admission that she loved having her boyfriend by her side at work.
“It’s great working with him – it’s always fun. I can never guess what I’m going to get from him [while filming], which is the best,” she said.
“We can be really straight up. We’ve got a great dialogue, so we can say what we need from each other and it will happen.”
During a subsequent interview, Sophie revealed that prioritising their friendship helped establish solid groundwork for their relationship.
“At the core, we are best mates first and we treat each other like that, but it’s also made our relationship stronger starting out that way,” she said.
Patrick, Sophie’s devoted partner, has also expressed how amazed he is by Sophie’s acting abilities.
“I think Sophie’s an amazing actress and it’s a good feeling on set to know you’re comfortable with each other.”
Sophie and Patrick couldn’t have possibly looked more in love as they headed to the 2022 TV Week Logie Awards on the Gold Coast.
The performers moved to the United Kingdom in January 2023 to begin a new chapter of their lives together, leaving the beaches of Summer Bay for a colder climate.
While Sophie and Patrick made an easy choice, fans were upset.
“We basically played someone else much more than ourselves for a very long time. In May 2023, Sophie confided to our sister journal Woman’s Day, “Right now, all we want is to see the world.”
In an interview with TV Week in March 2023, Sophie revealed the news of their character’s on-screen exit and noted that their drama’s plots had naturally come to an end.
“We have both done everything possible with our characters and it was time to start a new chapter.”
Do Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor have any kids?
The young couple have yet to start a family of their own (despite their on-screen counterparts taking this exciting next step together) but did adopt a cavoodle which they named Winnie whom they adopted in March 2021.
Speaking with New Idea in 2023, Patrick explained how adopting Winnie was like a “trial run” for him and Sophie in expanding their family.
“He’s just the absolute best little dude and it was the first time I’ve had someone totally relying on me, so it definitely helped me know that starting our own family is the direction we want to move to,” he shared.
Are Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor engaged? Alas – there is no news to report on this front however Sophie has previously hinted to New Idea what type of wedding she and Patrick will be having? “I’ve recently had a few girlfriends wed and seeing them go through all the stress of planning bid days…maybe we’ll just elope in Vegas!”
“The full Las Vegas Elvis drive-through wedding experience.”
But Patrick has other plans, “I don’t think our families would ever forgive us,” he joked at the time.
We’re sure Home and Away fans will be waiting with bated breath!
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