Angie Russell
Angela Russell (2002-2003; 2004)
Laurie Foell
Episodes: 3374–3497; 3751
Date of Birth: 30th September 1962
Parents: Monica Markham
Children: Dylan Russell & Tasha Andrews
Occupation: Teacher
Angie, as she was known, was Rhys Sutherland’s childhood sweetheart, and during school they made a pact to be together on their fortieth birthdays. However, the pair drifted apart, but a one night stand briefly reunited them, despite the fact that his wife was in hospital having suffered a miscarriage!
Angie wrongly believed she was pregnant by him after a one-night stand with someone else. However, she kept the child, Dylan, a secret from Rhys and got on with her life. A few years later, she agreed to help her close friend and identical cousin Josie out by standing in for her on a date with millionaire Ian Osbourne. This resulted in yet another unplanned pregnancy for Angie, though this time she had the girl, Tasha, adopted out to a family called the Andrews. Both she and Josie had contact with the Andrews for some time, although this gradually ended and her relationship with Josie also disintegrated.
Whilst working at the city, she had a fling with a student, Stephen Ross, which led to her leaving in disgrace. However the same school was also attended by Duncan Stewart who was living in the city with his aunt, Justice Morag Bellingham, who would come face-to-face with Angie a year or so later.
On her fortieth birthday, Angie took Dylan to Summer Bay where she had a new job (thanks to a friend at the department who owed her a favour and covered up her previous scandal), and it also happened to be the place Rhys was now living. She still carried a torch for him but unfortunately for her, he was still happily married. Things took a dramatic turn when Dylan began dating Rhys’ daughter Kirsty – a horrified Angie was forced to admit to Rhys that Dylan was his son so they could work together to keep the half-siblings apart. Dylan, Kirsty and the rest of the Sutherlands were shocked when they discovered the truth.
The revelation had dire consequences for Rhys and Shelley’s marriage and jealous Angie did everything she could to make Shelley think they were having an affair, which eventually worked and forced Shelley out of the bay, but not before she dumped a bowl of strawberry milkshake on Angie’s head in full view of most of the Bay residents!
With her love rival out of the way, things began to heat up with Rhys, but they never managed more than some passionate kissing in an empty classroom. Her failed relationship with Rhys brought out her even worse side. She hid her colleague Sally’s OCD medication, offered to be a surrogate mother for Sally, although no doubt she had a devious plan in mind.
Angie had a sexy romance with Jesse after giving him a false alibi for a murder which she had in fact been responsible for. She discovered she was expecting her third unplanned child, and had a termination without letting a single person know she was even pregnant.
Angie’s worst, however, was her dealings with student Nick Smith. After he fought Dylan, Angie vowed revenge and used her feminine wiles to cause him to fall for her. She flirted with him and then rejected him, confusing the poor boy. He eventually confronted her, only for her to rip her own clothes and scream for help, pretending he was attacking her. He tried to get her to shut up, but this made it look like he was assaulting her. The police were involved, and although she dropped the charges, the case still went ahead and turned the whole bay against her. She was especially despised by Nick’s foster mother, Irene, who whacked her a fair few times, as well as Justice Morag Bellingham, but Angie got revenge on her by suing her for defamation of character.
She went on to burn down Scott’s boatshed after Dylan had an accident there, and also evaded the attention of Stephen Ross, who tracked her down to Summer Bay and continued to obsess over her. She also blackmailed Josh West over his dealing with a local councillor and received a shock when she discovered Dylan was NOT Rhys’s son.
Nick’s friends finally managed to bring her down by filming her confessing that she manipulated him and framed him, “because she could”. She uncovered the plot and destroyed the tape, but they outsmarted her, because they actually had taped her with two cameras! They played the remaining tape in the middle of the school and this led to her being fired by Principal Paris Burnett, and in possibly her most well-known moment, faced a walk of shame as she left the school watched by students and staff lining the corridors. Before departing, she told Nick that he would die with her name on his lips.
Angie’s final public outing came at the Surf Club where she crashed a dance and ranted and raved to Rhys, Jesse and Dani and lost her mind, leaving in fury.
She later received a visit from her son who argued with her over her ridiculous and megalomaniacal behaviour. Then tragedy (or some would say luck) occurred as he pushed her and she fell, hit her head on the coffee table and lay dead on the ground. Dylan covered the death up but it led to a murder investigation with Dylan, Rhys, Dani, Kirsty, Jade, Sally, Nick, Irene and Josh as suspects.
Even death couldn’t keep our Angie down. After her daughter, Tasha came to Summer Bay, and discovered the identity of her mother, she began to receive visits from the late Angie who was still as vile as ever, but thankfully Tasha managed to supress her hallucinations and Angie’s spirit disappeared forever…