It’s been more than three decades since veteran actress Debra Lawrence first stepped foot in Summer Bay, to play one of Home and Away’s all-time favourite mother figures Pippa Fletcher (later Pippa Ross).
WATCH: Kate Ritchie admits she felt “lost” when she left Home and Away
And though the 64-year-old has since starred in high-profile shows like long-running soap Neighbours and Josh Thomas’ irreverent hit Please Like Me, Debra will always hold a special place in Home and Away fans’ hearts as Pippa.
The actress has undergone quite the transformation since her days as the fictional foster mum in the 90s heyday of the Aussie soap.
This week, she took to Instagram to debut her fresh look, showing off her latest gorgeous hairstyle to her followers.
“New hair… 🙏 many thanks to Toni who lives around the corner💫 #nowmywigwillfit #poweringoinggrey,” she captioned her selfie, with fans quick to praise the star.
One follower couldn’t help but reminisce about some of Pippa’s memorable Home and Away plotlines as they complimented Debra on the new look.
“I’m watching home and away early years online, I’m on episode 730 something, Pippa just finally said yes to Michael, she first turned him down after something Donald said about loss,” the follower told Debra, adding, “🔥 your hair looks beautiful ❤”
Debra’s character Pippa (originally played by Vanessa Lawrence before Debra took over) was a stalwart of the Channel Seven series in its early years. Debra appeared as the town’s main matriarch from 1990 until her departure in 1997, with several guest appearance returns in the years following.
She was the foster mother of characters like Sally (Kate Ritchie), Shannon (Isla Fisher) and Sophie Simpson (Rebekah Elmaloglou).
In an interview with fan site Back to The Bay in 2007, Debra spoke candidly about her experience playing the iconic character.
“I always totally felt like a mother figure to them. as well as career guidance counsellor, acting coach, relationship adviser, nutritionist, mentor, disciplinarian,” she explained of her on-screen kids.
Debra also revealed that even after leaving the show, Home and Away fans continue to connect her to the character.
“The public never release me from my attachment to Pippa!” she told the publication.
“That is not a bad thing… I am attached to the qualities that Pippa represents… warmth, conscious mothering, discipline and the trust that she inspires… all qualities that the viewers seemed to respond to very strongly.”
