Neighbours

Motorbike mad Steph has always been a tomboy. She has never lost her passion for all things mechanic (despite giving up riding twice after serious accidents) and continues to work on her favourite machines despite settling down as a suburban mother and local councillor.

Although she has always been one of the biggest babes on the street, Steph wasn’t initially lucky in love. While Toadie and Lance were falling over themselves to get her attention, Steph only had eyes for Drew Kirk. It was a constant source of heartache to watch his fairytale romance with Libby Kennedy, who quickly became her best friend. She was even a bridesmaid at their wedding: the fact that she caught the bouquet being little consolation for losing out on the man of her dreams.

It emerged that Steph had always had poor judgement when it came to men: her ex boyfriend Larry “Woody” Woodhouse was serving time in prison for armed robbery. When Woody was released she invited him to live with her family in Erinsborough, but they were threatened and he was forced to go into witness protection. Steph initially refused to go with him, but later changed her mind. He proposed, only to apparently die in a car explosion. She was shocked when Woody turned up alive and well on her doorstep months later: the explosion had all been part of protecting his secret identity.

Until meeting Max, the closest Steph had come to marriage was with Marc Lambert, the smug and spoilt assistant manager of Lassiters. She had no idea that Marc had been seeing her sister behind her back until Marc stumbled over his vows on their wedding day and she spotted his furtive glances at bridesmaid Flick. Piecing it all together, she was furious and it took a long time, and some serious distance, before Steph could forgive her little sister.

Her spat with Flick aside, Steph would do anything for her family. She supported younger brother Jack through his battle with drugs and comforted her grandfather Charlie as he died. Sadly, Lyn and Charlie’s son Michael thought that she had killed him. In court Steph was found guilty and given a suspended sentence although she later won her appeal to clear her name so that she would be eligible to adopt a child.

Kids have always been a high priority for Steph and her relationship with Max began due to her friendship with his young daughter Summer. Their marriage has survived the initial disapproval of Max’s son Boyd, the constant interference of her mum Lyn, infertility treatment, a failed adoption bid and two bouts of breast cancer. Steph’s relapse occurred during her longed for pregnancy and she refused treatment for fear of harming her unborn baby. In desperation, Max tried to have her declared mentally unsound to make her own medical decisions but Steph proved everyone wrong and went on to deliver baby Charlie naturally and at full term.

Sadly Steph’s marriage to Max crumbled in the wake of a terrible accident that saw Max hit Cameron Robinson with his car. Max had mistaken good twin Cam for evil twin Robert and when Cam died, Elle launched a terrifying revenge campaign designed to send Max mad. Feeling too unstable to be near his family, and concerned that he was to be tried for Cam’s murder, Max went on the run. In his absence Steph learned that good neighbours really DO become good friends when she got closer and closer to old pal Toadie.

Max’s reappearance put Steph in the difficult position of having to choose between the two men in her life: the father of her child, or the friend that had recently risked his life to protect her when Guy Sykes took Number 32 hostage. Although she was willing to make a go of things with Max for Charlie’s sake, eventually the decision was taken out of her hands. Realising that they were no longer in love, Max left Steph to move on with her life.

Although she tried to make a go of things with Toadie it became clear that they had different views on their future together. Toadie wanted to get married but Steph was never quite convinced. On their wedding day Steph stumbled over her vows and Toadie called the whole ceremony off, believing that she had never really loved him as anything more than a friend.

So now it’s back to square one for Steph but at least this time she has best friend Libby back on the street. When these single mums join forces who knows what will happen!