Home and Away John Palmer actor kept relationship with co-star secret for years

Both at home and away Star of John Palmer Shane Withington first dated co-star of A Country Practice Anne Tenney in the 1980s, but the couple from TV remained secretive about their relationship for years.

Both Shane Withington and his co-star declined to disclose their relationship to others.

Renowned for his role as John Palmer in Home and Away, the 65-year-old got to know Anne Tenney while working on the set of A Country Practice in the 1980s. On the Australian soap drama, their characters, Brendan and Molly Jones, later tied the knot.

Fans were unaware, though, that their affection extended beyond the screen. And they were so secretive about their connection that Emily Nicol, their on-screen daughter, was unaware of it.

Shane revealed their reasons for trying to hide their relationship, saying they were afraid of “cheapening” their love. The actor clarified, “We kept it under our hats, no one really knew,” in an interview with Starts at 60.

“We wanted to keep it out of the hands of the media. We didn’t want to cheapen our relationship by claiming on a magazine cover that we “found love on a soap opera,” so we kept it a secret for years.

“We treasured our relationship more than that; it’s a personal matter, and we’ve maintained it that way ever since,” he continued. When Molly lost her fight with leukemia in 1985, the show’s viewers were devastated.

On Home and Away, Shane’s character has experienced grief on occasion. After falling in love, he wed Gina Palmer (Sonia Todd), but in 2013 she passed away unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm.

With Marilyn Chambers (Emily Symons), John fell in love once more, but they broke up in 2020. He is now concentrating on the Surf Club and its unidentified contributor.

Recently, the Club got a sizable donation from an unidentified source, and Roo (Georgie Parker) and John are competing to find out who gave it. In the March 25th episode of Channel 5’s soap opera, Roo proposed that they postpone utilizing the money until they learn the person’s desires.

John, though, urged that they use the money right away. Irene (Lynne McGranger), attempting to mediate a settlement between the two, proposed that the committee make the final decision. To Roo’s dismay, however, John received every vote.