Marilyn Chambers

Played by Emily Symons

First appearance: 1989 (Episode 309)
Relationship status: Single
Address: Summer Bay House
Occupation: Fortune teller

Biography

Famous for her bouffant blonde 'do, bubbly personality and penchant for leopard print, Marilyn Chambers first hit Summer Bay in 1989 as the girlfriend of Colleen Smart's son Lance. She went on to meet and marry Phil Bryant, from whom she later separated, and after a three-year break from the Bay, she returned to open her infamous Hair and Beauty Salon.

Marilyn memorably struck up an unlikely relationship with headmaster Donald 'Flathead' Fisher following her return to school as a mature student. The couple eventually tied the knot, which due to their age difference didn't fail to spark controversy.

Longing to have a child, Marilyn suffered the heartbreak of a miscarriage before later falling pregnant for a second time. After going into labour two weeks before her due date, complications with the delivery left Marilyn no choice but to have an emergency Caesarean; struggling to accept the circumstances of the birth, she subsequently suffered with post-natal depression, and briefly left Donald and son Byron.

But that wasn't the end of Marilyn’s heartbreak. Although after a period of months she returned to her family in the hope of making a fresh start, when Byron was diagnosed with liver cancer the reality of his illness fast began to take its toll on Marilyn and Don's marriage. Byron's death during a trip to find specialist treatment in the US was the catalyst for their split.

In 2009, a decade after she left Summer Bay, Marilyn tottered back to the Bay with both a new lease on life and her wooden pal Mr Oddly. Though forever changed by the death of Byron and her own brush with cancer, Marilyn was determined to live life to the full, embracing Eastern religions, magic and, err, tofu.