Lynne McGranger links Irene Roberts exit to Jess Redmayne on Channel 7
Channel 7 viewers now know where Irene Roberts’ exit idea came from. Lynne McGranger said the storyline drew on Jess Redmayne’s mum, who had early onset dementia in her 50s and died a few years ago.
McGranger played Irene on Home and Away for 33 years. Last year, she left after calling the move bittersweet, and in 2025 she added both the Silver Logie for Best Lead Actress in a Drama and the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television.
Lynne McGranger on Irene
“After almost 33 years in my dream role and working everyday with people who I love, respect and whom I now consider family, it’s bittersweet to be closing the chapter on what has been the best and longest gig of my life,” McGranger said at the time of her departure. She also said, “I am so proud of the storyline which will see Irene out of the Bay.”
Her latest comments make the creative choice easier to read in plain terms. This was not just a long-running soap exit built around a character’s departure; it was shaped by a real family experience, and McGranger called it “beautifully done” and “incredibly sad.”
Jess Redmayne's mum
“The idea came from Jess Redmayne’s mum, who sadly was diagnosed with early onset dementia in her 50s and passed away a few years ago,” McGranger said. “She was my age. It was beautifully done and it made me very happy because of that, but it was also incredibly sad.”
That gives Irene’s final scenes a different weight. The story used a degenerative Alzheimer’s disease angle and the decision to sell her house and travel while she could, so the exit was built around a real-life reference point rather than a purely plot-driven sendoff.
2025 Logies haul
At the 2025 Logies, McGranger said the Silver Logie “blindsided” her and that the Gold Logie was “just delightful.” Backstage, she joked, “If I’d known this was going to happen, I’d have left years ago, love.”
For viewers, the takeaway is simple: Irene’s exit was designed as a character ending with lived-in emotional detail, not a generic farewell, and McGranger’s awards run turned her final year around Home and Away into a cleaner exit than the show itself could have scripted.
