Home and Away’s Patrick O’Connor & Sophie Dillman Take on Long-Distance Love!

Sally Carman-Duttine, who plays the beloved Abi Webster on Coronation Street, recently celebrated a milestone birthday, marking her 50th year on Friday. Known for her strong portrayal of Abi, Sally has been a part of the ITV soap since 2017 and has become a fan favorite over the years. To commemorate the special occasion, she shared a series of candid moments with friends and family on her Instagram.

The photos captured her enjoying a fun-filled day with husband Joe Duttine, who also stars on Coronation Street as Tim Metcalfe. The pictures featured Sally indulging in drinks, cupcakes, a cheesecake, and a sundae, showing off the joy of the celebration. In her caption, Sally humorously referred to the festivities as “Birthday bitsie bobsies,” using hashtags like #spoiltrotten, #bestfriends, #bestfamily, and #50rocks to capture the essence of her special day.

The birthday post received a flood of love from her co-stars, past and present. Vicky Myers, who plays DS Lisa Swain, praised Sally, writing, “You deserve the world! Happy Birthday. Love you.” Sally Dynevor, who portrays Sally Metcalfe, also sent birthday wishes, calling Sally “Stunning.” There were plenty of heartwarming messages from colleagues, including Anthony Crank (formerly Dean Turnbull), who affectionately called her “absolute QUEEN.”

In addition to birthday celebrations, Sally also shared some personal updates with her followers. Last month, she revealed a new tattoo as a tribute to her husband Joe and his three children from a previous relationship, symbolizing her love for her blended family.

Sally has also opened up about working alongside her husband on Coronation Street, admitting that while they share a close bond, she’s “never going to like” working with him. She humorously expressed that, while Joe’s spontaneous and humorous approach to scenes often makes her laugh, it can sometimes disrupt the work process. She said, “I like to come fully prepared and he likes to flesh it out on the floor,” adding that his antics make her giggle uncontrollably.

It’s clear that Sally’s 50th birthday wasn’t just a celebration of her personal milestone but also a reflection of her loving relationships, both on and off-screen. The support from her Coronation Street family and the shared moments with her own family and friends have made her milestone birthday one to remember.

Patrick O’Connor and Sophie Dillman didn’t just play everyone’s favourite Home and Away couple – they also date in real life.

The Dean Thompson and Ziggy Astoni actors left the show in 2023 and have since spent time working and travelling outside of Australia.

However, more recently, they have been living on opposite ends of the world.

Eight-year friendship

While they first announced their relationship back in September 2019, the pair actually knew each other for many years before their soap debut together.

The pair have an eight-year long friendship that started when they studied together at acting school in Queensland.

After finishing their degrees, they both ended up on Home and Away with Sophie joining the cast first.

She made her first appearance in 2017 as Ziggy Astoni, a woman running away from her past.

Patrick joined the show the following year in 2018 as a new River Boy from good ole’ Mangrove River.

Their characters’ relationship began to develop as Dean supported Ziggy through the breakdown of her marriage to Brody Morgan after discovering his affair.

Romance

Patrick and Sophie moved in together in 2020 and adopted an adorable little puppy together.

They were in lockdown together with Patrick even putting together a special birthday celebration for Sophie at home.

The actor surprised his girlfriend with a romantic lunch as he dressed up as an old school waiter in a red and white striped suit.

The pair were treated to some aphrodisiacs as they enjoyed some delicious-looking oysters.

Patrick called Sophie his “number one” in a touching birthday tribute, adding that he couldn’t imagine living “this crazy life” without her.

Long distance

After they both left Home and Away in 2023, they started travelling and explored different parts of Europe, before spending an extended amount of time in the UK.

However, after two years, Sophie decided to return to Australia while Patrick remained there for work.

“The grey weather was a major reason I had to come back as I kept getting really sick over there,” she told Woman’s Day in March.

“It’s not bothering Patrick, he’s still got many adventures he wants to do and I’m so happy he’s made that decision. [Long-distance relationships] can get complicated sometimes because we don’t know any different.”

“We worked together before we were together and then we started dating, so we’ve never spent this much time apart,” she added.

They shared that they are still going strong” and are “supportive” of each other.

Sally Carman-Duttine, who plays the beloved Abi Webster on Coronation Street, recently celebrated a milestone birthday, marking her 50th year on Friday. Known for her strong portrayal of Abi, Sally has been a part of the ITV soap since 2017 and has become a fan favorite over the years. To commemorate the special occasion, she shared…