Like their on-screen characters many Home and Away actors have been through some of their own health woes – Daily Star Online takes a look at some of the issues they’ve faced
Over the years, Home and Away has experienced its fair share of health problems.
After receiving a diagnosis of pseudomyxoma peritonei, an extraordinarily uncommon form of cancer, Ari Parata, played by Rob Kipa-Williams, was the latest character to leave the soap opera due to a medical issue last month.
Instead of having routine, gruesome surgeries, Ari chose to pass away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.
Who could forget Billie Ashford’s heartbreaking departure from the gym in February 2017 after giving birth to the child of her rapist and learning from physicians that she has an incurable tumor?
Later, before she passes away in his arms, she begs her husband VJ to take her and their daughter Lucinda to the beach.
Many of the actors in the Australian soap opera have experienced their own health issues.
The Daily Star Online looks at some of the real-life health struggles of famous people, including endometriosis, brain cancer, and mental health issues.
Johnny Ruffo – brain cancer
Johnny, a Chris Harrington character, went to the hospital in 2017 due to incapacitating headaches.
He was put into a coma and had an urgent surgery to remove a seven-centimeter tumor when it was determined he had brain cancer.
Last year, Johnny received the devastating news that he was fighting brain cancer for a second time after undergoing radiotherapy treatment.
He announced on social media that his brain cancer has returned: “After an unexpected week of seizures and agonizing headaches, it is with a heavy heart that I have to let you know I now have another significant struggle ahead of me,
“However, I’ll fight hard and defeat this s**t disease once more.”
Before doctors analyze Johnny to determine whether or not the treatment is effective, he must go through more procedures.
Sophie Dillman – endometriosis
Ziggy Astonihas’s actress Sophie Dillman underwent three operations to address endometriosis, a condition that affects the uterus.
She admitted in 2020 that she occasionally required medication and had even hid hot water bottles on set in her clothes.
“I have pretty awful pain days where I have to take a lot of medicine and can’t accomplish much,” the 26-year-old says to The Daily Telegraph.
When Sophie was experiencing the most pain, she says she decided to become an ambassador for Endometriosis Australia.
The woman added, “I contacted them in a particularly low phase of my life when I was in a lot of pain most days.”
“I have to wander around with a hot water bottle in my outfit,” the actress continued.
She added that she consults with a “team of professionals,” including a gynecologist, a physiotherapist, and a naturopath, and that she became an Endometriosis Australia ambassador when she was at her worst.
She continued, “I reached out to them during a particularly low period of my life when I was in a lot of pain most days.
Nic Westaway – mental health
Nic Westaway, a former Home and Away actor, has long battled mental illness.
While he hasn’t had a formal diagnosis of depression, Nic, who played Kyle Braxton from 2012 to 2016, has been forthright and honest about his issue, admitting that he’s “struggled at times.”
The 32-year-old admitted to having his share of “dark” days and difficult times in a recent interview with Daily Mail Australia.
He described how free counseling sessions, support groups, friends, and family helped him get through difficult times.
“All those alternatives I’ve used at various times and come out of it not back to where I was, but a few steps farther in terms of my personal development and progress,” Nic added.
and for that reason, this challenge is significant to me.
Additionally, he stated that he wants to eradicate the “shame” associated with mental health and promote the idea that seeking help when necessary is acceptable.
Nic said: “There should be an open acceptance of like, go and do something about it, start meditating, use mindfulness techniques, and reach out to family and friends,” when someone says, “My mental health is not great right now.”
Ray Meagher – heart surgery
Since the first episode of Home and Away in 1998, legendary Home and Away actor Ray Meagher, who played Alf Stewart, had struggled with heart problems.
Ray, 77, had an urgent heart procedure in 2019 and a triple bypass the following year.
According to Melbourne’s Herald Sun, Ray required a triple bypass following what was intended to be a normal wellness check.
After tests revealed that Ray had several blockages, doctors reportedly hurried him into surgery.
The Home And Away actor talked about his problems on The Morning Show in 2020, outlining the circumstances leading up to his second treatment.
Ray claimed that after feeling a persistent “tickle” in his chest, his doctor ordered an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check for any heart irregularities.
Ray said he had been “singing and dancing” ever since the procedure, unfazed by his health concern.
