Lynne McGranger spent 33 years playing Irene Roberts on Home and Away — and for every single one of them, Paul McWaters was right there beside her.
The beloved actress, 72, and her partner of more than 40 years have built a quiet, enduring love story that has outlasted most marriages in Hollywood and well beyond.
They have never wed, but by every measure that matters, they are a team.
Paul has been Lynne’s constant, through the highs of three decades on one of Australia’s most iconic TV shows, through the heartbreak of a miscarriage she has spoken about with remarkable candour, and most recently through her decision to leave Home and Away in March 2025 after more than three decades as one of its most treasured cast members.
Now, Lynne is stepping into a new chapter — most recently taking on the challenge of Channel Nine’s wild new reality series SHARK!, though New Idea can reveal her time on the show was cut short after a medical emergency during filming in the Bahamas.
Through it all, Paul has remained the steady presence he has always been. Here’s everything you need to know about their remarkable relationship.
How did Lynne and Paul meet?
While their romance has been kept relatively low-key, Lynne revealed to New Idea back in 2014 the sweet – and albeit hilarious – way the two met.
“I invited him round to my place in 1984 [after having dinner together] and he never went home. Still hasn’t,” Lynne quipped during their first-ever joint interview.
The couple have been together ever since, and despite all the milestone years under their belts, they’re in no rush to get married.
“I’m still waiting [for him to propose],” Lynne said.
“We always joke and say we’ll do it when we want some white goods, and I’m here to tell you now, we need a new washing machine!”
Do Lynne and Paul have children?
The couple share a daughter together, Clancy McWaters.
The mum and daughter duo were featured together in our sister publication The Australian Women’s Weekly last year.
Lynne opened up about her early days on Home and Away, telling the publication that Clancy was just 20 months old when the actress took on what was meant to be a three-month stint on the soap.
However, what was meant to be a short-term gig ended up being a 33-year career.
“I was terrified because of my age,” Lynne told The Australian Women’s Weekly in an interview.
“There was an assumption that I knew what I was doing, and I didn’t really have a clue because I’d only really done theatre. But I remember the producer saying to me, ‘Watch Judy Nunn [who played Ailsa Stewart] and learn.'”
Lynne has previously credited Paul for lending a helping hand when it came to balancing motherhood with her career.
“Aside from being a wonderful man, if it wasn’t for him I’d never have been able to do what I’ve done on Home and Away,” Lynne told Woman’s Day in 2019.
“He took over as a house husband and primary carer of Clancy,” she said.
“He’s amazing. We still enjoy each other’s company and still make each other laugh.”
In August 2023, Lynne shared sweet family snaps of the family celebrating Clancy’s wedding.
“What a perfect, magical day it was,” Lynne wrote on Instagram. “Surrounded our family and Luke’s family and all our close friends we witnessed the gorgeous marriage of Luke and Clancy. We laughed, we ate, we drank , we danced and we partied – all in celebration of the 2 gorgeous newlyweds.”
A special bond
The sweet couple bond over their love of sports, and often head out to the AFL to cheer on their beloved Sydney Swans.
Something they don’t have in common, however, is Paul’s love for tech, where Lynne described her long-term partner as “kind of a computer geek”.
“Which isn’t my cup of tea but he loves it,” she said.
And, while the pair aren’t married, Lynne hasn’t ruled it out.
“If we do get married it will probably be a barbecue in the backyard,” she said.
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