Patrick O’Connor, who plays Dean Thompson on Home and Away, has confirmed to whattowatch.com that his mother Karen Thompson (Georgia Adamson) will be paying him a visit this time!
Dean has previously grappled with his mother’s unstable behaviour. But things have been stable between them since she began treatment for schizoaffective disorder.
When Karen shows up unexpectedly in the Bay, Dean is taken aback by her assertion that she’s fleeing a man who wants to marry her. But what exactly is going on?
“Dean is astonished!” Patrick shared, “He can’t image Karen wanting to be tied down or in a long-term commitment.”
“However, once he gets past that, he can sense she’s scared.” That demonstrates her genuine concern for this individual.”
Karen may have kept her romance a secret from Dean, but he has his own secrets. He hasn’t informed her that she is the grandmother of a grandson! Karen forces Jai to confess after seeing a photo of him.
“That’s a huge secret to keep!” “Because of Karen’s past, Jai’s mother Amber didn’t want him to see her, and that was the deal Dean made so he could see his kid,” Patrick explained.
“Karen finds Amber’s choice to prevent her from seeing him ludicrous, but when Dean explains why, she supports Amber’s decision.”
“He’s concerned about how it will affect his mother, and whether it will have an impact on her mental health.”
Happily, things turn out for the best when Dean realises he needs to rethink his strategy and arranges for Karen to accompany him to the beach to meet Jai with his girlfriend Ziggy Astoni (Sophie Dillman).
“It’s incredibly lovely when they meet.” Even if it is Summer Bay, there can be happy endings!” Patrick cracked a joke.
Dean then swears to fix Karen’s love life by bringing her back together with her enigmatic boyfriend, Brett (Aaron Glenane).
“Dean breaks into Karen’s phone and discovers his number, explaining that Karen is in Summer Bay,” Patrick explained.
“When he rocks up, Ziggy and Dean can’t believe what they’re seeing! The situation is amusing because Brett and Dean are almost the same age!”
Karen, enraged that Brett has tracked her down, tries to throw him off by kissing a surprised John! Brett, on the other hand, isn’t willing to give up on Karen because he thinks she’s simply putting on a show.
Fans may have suspicions that Brett is up to no good, but Patrick has confirmed that Brett is the real deal.
“I think it will surprise some viewers, but he’s a genuine, down-to-earth, beautiful guy,” she says.
“That’s why Karen is so terrified.” He truly believes what he says, and finding a man like that for Karen is a rare occurrence.
Patrick added that now that the romance is back on track, Dean wants it to stay that way.
“He’s ecstatic because he’s never seen his mother so happy before. That is what motivates him to be so supportive of Karen’s relationship and to ensure that she does not abandon it.”
Patrick added that, despite Karen’s brief stay in the Bay, it’s been wonderful to move on from Dean’s terrifying crash and subsequent recuperation last year. He also hinted at another major plot coming to the Bay.
“I’m overjoyed Dean is able to get back in the water and stroll about.” He insisted, “It’s always good to see the pleasant side of him.”
“There’s a lot of comedy in the horizon.” Because Dean can be so serious, we haven’t seen much of that side of him.
“At Salt, there will also be some interesting things going on, but you’ll have to wait and see!”
“There are a lot of personalities in it.” I can’t say much more than that, although it gets very hot!”
We couldn’t let Patrick leave without asking him about his dog Winnie, a toy cavoodle, who has a breathtakingly cute Instagram account (cavalier king charles spaniel and poodle mix).
Just over a year ago, he and his fiancée Sophie Dillman (who plays his on-screen love interest, Ziggy) adopted the puppy.
“He’s the cutest!” says the narrator. He does have a bit of an attitude, though!” Patrick burst out laughing.
“He enjoys cuddling and hanging out, but if you don’t give him a good scratch and some affection, he can become a bit sassy.”
“It was something we’d always wanted to do but had never gotten around to doing.”
“It’s the same with getting a puppy. You’re undecided about whether or not you want one. But then we got one, and it was the best decision we ever made!
“It was right in the middle of Covid, and we were under lockdown, and we couldn’t have asked for a finer little pal.”
Could Winnie become a new mascot for the Summer Bay cast?
“I think he’d really enjoy it!” The only issue is that if we filmed on the beach, he’d flee! I don’t think he’s ready to be an actor yet.”
