As a beloved character, it’s no wonder fans are also fond of Lynne herself, and here we take a look at her life away from the soap with a recent operation and her 40 year partnership
Lynne McGranger, who has played Irene Roberts on Home and Away since 1993, as one of the show’s most long running characters, second only to Alf Stewart who made his first appearance, played by Ray Meagher, in 1988 as one of the show’s original characters.
She took over the role from the original actress Jacquy Phillips. The fan favourite has fulfilled a very important storyline over the years – shining a light on the difficulties of alcoholism and addiction.
She became one of the town’s most loved and respected residents, but earlier this year a relapse saw her character heading off to rehab, with Lynne returning to filming recently after a few months away from the soap.
However, she did not stop acting while her character was away, in fact she went on tour for the stage show, The Grandparents Club.
As a beloved character, it’s no wonder fans are also fond of Lynne herself, and here we take a look at her life away from the soap.
Love Life
Lynne has been in a long-term relationship with her partner Paul, with 40 years of love shared between them.
The couple first met at a dinner in 1984 and have been together ever since, but have not tied the knot.
The Home and Away star shared that she is still waiting for Paul to pop the question, and said that together they joke about getting married when they needed whitegoods.
She says that if they do get married, it will be at home and a very laid-back affair with a barbeque and local flowers.
Health
This year, Lynn gave her fans and followers an update on her health, sharing that she has had her thyroid gland removed.
The star posted a photo of herself smiling while lying in a hospital bed, and shared that she has recently “parted ways” with her “toxic overactive thyroid”.
“It was a long time coming- we were incompatible and quite frankly I was exhausted,” she wrote.
“I’m healing well and so far I don’t miss that dirty thyroid one bit! Stay tuned for Scar spam.”
An overactive thyroid is where the thyroid gland produces more thyroid hormones than the body needs. It is also known as hyperthyroidism or thyrotoxicosis, says the HSE.
An overactive thyroid can cause many symptoms, including:
- nervousness, anxiety and irritability
- mood swings
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- persistent tiredness and weakness
- sensitivity to heat
- swelling in your neck from an enlarged thyroid gland (goitre)
- an irregular or unusually fast heart rate (palpitations)
- twitching or trembling
- weight loss