Home and Away’s real-life couple Sophie Dillman and Patrick O’Connor reveal why they left Australia after quitting the long-running soap

 

Sophie Dillman of Home and Away has declared her intent to begin a theater career in the United Kingdom.

The beloved 29-year-old fan favorite and her co-star, 30-year-old Patrick O’Connor, who played sweethearts on the popular soap, left the long-running series in January.

The couple has since relocated in London after just finishing a trip throughout Europe to see the sights.

Known for her role as Ziggy Astoni on Home and Away, Sophie says she is eager to start acting again.

According to Women’s Day, who spoke with the pair on Monday, Sophie will prioritize the stage above the tiny screen.

Home and Away’s Sophie Dillman – pictured – announced she plans to start a theatre career in the U.K in an interview with Women’s Day on Monday

The fan favourite, 29, and her partner Patrick O’Connor, 30, who co-starred as sweethearts on the beloved soap, exited the long-running series in January (pictured)

The couple, who recently completed a sight-seeing jaunt around Europe, have settled in London. Pictured: Sophie and Patrick as Ziggy and Dean on Home and Away

Sophie remarked, “I was warned by an acting teacher that I don’t have the look for television because I had a chubby face.

That gave a 21-year-old who was still trying to figure himself out a lot more confidence! I therefore imagined that my work would be limited to acting and playing characters. Unexpectedly, I still have TV. But I really want to be in the theater here.

Sophie and Patrick have been to Italy, Scotland, Ireland, and Portugal since leaving Australia in January.

The couple currently has no intentions to create a family, according to Sophie, who recently updated fans on her endometriosis battle.

“I’m 30 [soon] and have to think about my eggs dying, apparently,” Sophie exclaimed.

But I am aware that there won’t be any room for impromptu travel if I begin a reproductive journey at some point. We essentially played someone else for a very long time instead of ourselves. Right now, all we want to do is travel.

In other parts of the conversation, Patrick disclosed that the couple had their gorgeous puppy, a cavoodle named Winnie, shipped out from Australia, and are now back together.

The couple, who played sweethearts Ziggy and Dean on Home and Away, explained to TV Week in February why they decided to leave the show after six years. 

She said: ‘We have both done everything possible with our characters and it was time to start a new chapter.’

She called the move ’emotional’ but said the pair were ready for a new challenge.