Home and Away's newest character Harper Matheson is played by Jessica Redmayne and the actress recently opened up about her mother who was diagnosed with dementia..
Home and Away star Jessica Redmayne has opened up about her mother's long battle with dementia, admitting it has changed her perspective on the world.
The actress, 31, made her debut as Harper Matheson on Wednesday (September 27), arriving in Summer Bay looking for a room to rent..
Away from the soap, Jessica revealed her family has been struggling since her mother, Tina, was diagnosed with early onset dementia in 2014.
Speaking about her mother's heath battle in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, she said: "Dad said
to me, evryone has their s**t, and this is ours. It changed my perspective on the world.
"To know they're going to inevitably forget who you are, and have no concept of me being her daughter is incredibly challenging. Jessica shared her heartbreak when her mother no longer recognised her as her daughter and believed she was her friend. The TV star continued: "She got to a point where she still knew my name, but didn't realise I was her child. She thought I was her best friend, she couldn't grasp she had kids." Jessica recently fronted Dementia Action Week in Australia, a campaign to help raise awareness of the condition which affects 400,000 people in Australia.
The soap star was announced as their newest ambassador and voiced hopes of sharing her story to inspire people to better understand the condition, as well as show others impacted by Dementia that they are not alone. Before making her Home and Away debut, Jessica appeared on a number of Australian TV shows, including Wentworth, Fisk and Neighbours. Born and raised in Melbourne, the actress relocated to Sydney earlier this year after after landing the role of Harper. On Friday (September 29), fans will discover what Harper is hiding following her shifty behaviour around police officers.
After opening up to old friend and Summer Bay cop Cash Newman (Nicholas Cartwright) about her sister Dana's (Ally Harris) trouble with the police, Harper sits down for dinner at Irene's. Insisting to clean up, Harper takes the spare food into her room where fugitive Dana climbs through the window.
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1.45pm on Channel 5 and 6pm on 5STAR. First-look screenings air at 6.30pm on 5STAR and the show also streams on My5.
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