Next week on Home and Away in the UK, Irene finds herself reaching rock bottom after a series of troubling events, leading her to leave Summer Bay. It’s been a month since Irene fell off the wagon, breaking her nine-year sobriety, and the upcoming episodes will finally show her seeking help as she hits her lowest point.
Irene initially struggled to cope after discovering that her terminally ill housemate Brony was actually a con artist. John was the first to notice Irene’s drinking habits resurfacing when he walked in and found her kneeling over a bottle of whiskey she had just dropped. Although Irene agreed to attend an AA meeting, she walked away feeling disconnected, believing she was in control of her drinking. She even began openly drinking in front of shocked friends like Leah, insisting that she no longer needed to punish herself.
However, while Irene drank wine socially, she was secretly consuming stronger alcohol at home. John, who quickly saw through her facade, was disappointed when he returned from the city to find that Irene had abandoned her AA meetings. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw her dumping a bag full of empty whiskey bottles. When he confronted her, Irene coldly declared that their friendship was over and kicked him out, claiming, “You and me, we are done.”
In the following week, Irene’s drinking continues to spiral. She sneaks a hip flask into work, taking swigs throughout the day. Leah and Marilyn soon notice her erratic behavior as she repeatedly gets orders wrong and disappears to the pantry. Leah eventually catches her in the act and confronts her. Although Irene tries to dismiss her, Leah insists it’s her business if Irene is drinking on the job. Irene, defensive and cranky, storms out of the diner and returns home, where she asks Harper and D to leave, wanting space to be alone.
By the time Leah comes to check on her later, Irene is in a bad state. Drunk and slurring her words, she accuses Leah of enjoying feeling superior to her, before breaking down in tears, admitting her humiliation. Leah pleads with her to seek help, but Irene throws her out and continues to drink. Later, when Irene tries to navigate the stairs in her drunken state, she loses her footing and falls, leaving her unconscious with a serious head wound.
Meanwhile, John turns to Brie for advice, asking how to help someone who doesn’t want help. Brie advises that sometimes the most reluctant patients are those most afraid of vulnerability. That evening, Harper finds Irene groggy and injured, with a hastily applied bandage on her head. Irene lies, claiming she slipped in the kitchen, but Harper quickly figures out the truth and insists on taking her to the hospital.
At the hospital, Brie checks Irene over and arranges a CT scan, concerned about possible concussion. Despite Irene downplaying her drinking, her friends—Leah, Xander, and Rose—gather at her bedside. When Brie asks if there’s anything she should know, Leah quietly reveals that Irene is a recovering alcoholic who has recently relapsed. Realizing Leah has shared her secret, Irene refuses to accept help for her alcohol withdrawal, insisting she’s been through this before. However, when Brie catches her drinking from a hip flask in the hospital, the reality of her situation hits hard.
In a moment of vulnerability, Irene breaks down, finally admitting that she needs help. She apologizes to Marilyn for being drunk at work, and Marilyn reassures her that John still cares. Sure enough, John later arrives with flowers, and the two reconcile. Irene admits to lying to everyone, including herself, but now sees the situation clearly. She tells John that she can’t trust herself to go home, and Brie has arranged for her to go to rehab. John agrees to take her there, and they stop by the diner on the way so Irene can apologize to Leah and Marilyn. The pair tell her all is forgiven, and that the only important thing now is for Irene to take care of herself.
As John and Irene leave, he asks if she’s okay. “I will be,” Irene replies, showing a newfound confidence. This will be the last appearance of Irene on UK screens until April 2025, as actress Lynne McGranger is taking a six-month break. After wrapping up this storyline, she took a holiday in the UK before returning to Australia to star in the theater production The Grandparents Club. Following the tour, Lynne underwent thyroid surgery but has recently returned to filming after her recovery.
