"Knowing my storyline quite far in advance, I knew Bella would never be Witness X," she told the publication.
"Bella could also not betray her brother like that, even if she believed he deserved to go to prison. He is the last family member she has left."
After the big reveal, Willow fled Summer Bay and Courtney reckons it will be a long time before Bella can forgive her for her actions.
"Bella is far too hurt by Willow's actions. Bella has not only lost a brother but a sister. Bella's anger towards Willow stems from hurt – hurt from being blindsided by her own family," she said.
"Perhaps in the future Bella will understand why Willow did what she did, but for now Bella is too vulnerable to forgive."
After her on-screen brother Tim Franklin left Home and Away, Courtney shared a heartfelt tribute to him via Instagram, which featured several photos of the pair on set together.
"Good-Bye my dear friend and big brother. Our scenes together were magical and our character love was true," she captioned.
"I'll miss you laughing at me. I'll miss your hugs. I won't miss your vocal warmups. Oh, how the river family had fun. Until next time big bro, maybe when I'm the cop and you're the little sister. I adore both Colby and you loads. @timfranklin On to your new adventure my boy."
Fans shared their emotional messages in the comments section, remarking on Courtney and Tim's sweet relationship on and off-screen.
"The best brother/sister relationship in a long time. will miss this so much," one fan remarked.
"Oh my heart hurts. you two were so amazing together. Colby and Bella had a relationship like no other. Us fans are extremely lucky to have you both portraying them. Thanks for everything guys. I'll miss this so much," another mused.
"Emotional reading this. You guys had some of the best scenes together. Love your bond on and off screen," a third penned.
This article first appeared on our sister site Now To Love.
