Neighbours' Des and Daphne actors 36 years since exit – including sad mental health battle
ok.co.ukBefore Scott and Charlene, there was Des and Daphne – the original Neighbours couple who got married in a fairytale wedding, one year prior to Mr and Mrs Robinson becoming an item.
Daphne Lawrence (played by Elaine Smith) was originally a stripper with a heart of gold – she fell for loveable Des Clarke (played by Paul Keane) in the very first episode of the popular Australian soap, back on 18 March, 1985.
Daphne was one of just 12 original Neighbours characters – along with Des – created by TV producer Reg Watson, who gave up stripping when she got the lease to the local coffee shop.
Meanwhile Des fell for Daphne when she moved in to his Ramsay Street home to help him pay the mortgage, even though she was dating Des's friend, Shane.The pair married in July 1986 – not before Daphne's car had been hijacked by a bank robber – but Elaine had already decided she was going to leave the soap despite its growing popularity, and was killed off in a car accident the next year.
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