Renowned actress and author Judy Nunn dissolves into a hurricane of hilarity when asked about her Home and Away character, Ailsa Stewart’s, demise after a 13-year run.
“Poor Ailsa. After all she’d endured, from surviving mudslides and armed hold-ups – even a jail stint for murdering her abusive father! – in the end she was given a remarkably dull death,” Judy, 77, tells New Idea with a smile.
In fact, Ailsa passed away in 2000 after having a heart attack in front of her husband Alf, who was portrayed by Ray Meagher.
“She collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I felt that was a rather dull farewell song,” Judy says. Sending Ailsa over the Niagara Falls in a barrel “may have been a little excessive, but giving her a genuine, deeply affecting address to Alf from her deathbed following a catastrophic diagnosis — that would have been dramatic,” said the author.
In particular, Judy has many happy memories of Ray and Emily Symons, who played Marilyn, as a Summer Bay original.
“Ray is a treasure. It’s always a joy to catch up. Emily is wickedly funny.”
Judy started writing for the first time during the run of Home and Away. She converted her dressing room into a writing area and made notes on the scripts’ backs while she created characters and plots. She quickly produced five novels.
Judy put on hold acting prospects because her writing career was thriving when she left the program. She is proud to be one of Australia’s regularly bestselling authors now that she has published 19 books.
Her most recent book, The Long Weekend, is an engaging collection of six short stories that explores subjects including the paranormal and true-life murder mysteries.
The eagerly awaited Black Sheep will be released later this year. The book, according to Judy, is a “good seed, evil seed” tale set on a sheep ranch with a significant twist.
“I’m loving life. My husband, actor-author Bruce Venables, and I just celebrated 34 years of marriage,” Judy reveals. “Back when I was fully focused on my career, I’d run a mile at the thought of marriage. But priorities change with age. I feel such contentment being married and love that Bruce and I are quintessentially chalk and cheese.”
“I’m hyperactive and he’s nonchalant, so things are never dull and, for us, it works a treat. The secret to our marriage is lots of laughs every day.”
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