Cynthia Ross

Cynthia Ross is the first wife of Michael Ross, and the mother of his children Haydn Ross and Kate Ross. She was played by former Sons and Daughters actress Belinda Giblin, who played Patricia Hamilton on that show. These days, Belinda Giblin plays Alf Stewart's wife Martha on H&A.

Backstory[]

Cynthia and Michael married sometime in the early 1970s. Their marriage had begun to go downhill long before they finally split up. Michael later wondered aloud if he had ever loved his wife or had just been in love with the idea of being in love. The family appears to have been comfortably off but that was soon to change. Michael's efforts to save his ailing marriage meant he neglected his boating marina business. When that went broke, Cynthia left him and convinced their children that it was all his fault. They divorced around 1990 and by all accounts it was highly acrimonious.

1991[]

Cynthia arrived unexpectedly in Summer Bay in February 1991, the day after Pippa and Michael's first proper date (Episode 701). She had been holidaying abroad in Switzerland with her daughter Kate but had come to the realisation that her divorce had been a terrible mistake. She was still in love with Michael and hoped they could get back together again. Haydn was delighted to see his mother again. He had never accepted that his parents had split for good or had tried hard enough to stay together. He was at best lukewarm that his father had starting to date Pippa. With his mother back in town, he was given fresh hope that his parents would finally reconcile.

Even though Cynthia quickly figured out that there was something going on between Michael and Pippa, she wasn't to be deterred. She managed to manipulate Pippa into ending her fledgling relationship with Michael. Still, even with Pippa gone off the scene, Michael had no intention of getting back together with her. As a last desperate cast of the die to get them back together, Haydn deliberately went missing in the bush. Things became more dramatic than he had planned for (falling down a disused mine-shaft can have that effect!) but it got him what he wanted. His parents' panic over his disappearance led to them putting their past hostilities aside and being nice to each other.

Michael reluctantly agreed to attempt a reconciliation with Cynthia, even though his heart clearly wasn't in it. An obviously heartbroken Pippa also encouraged him, saying it'd be worth it if it meant the Ross family could get back together again. To give them a push, Haydn and Sophie booked a surprise romantic a weekend away for them at the Sands Resort. On their first evening there, Cynthia finally realised that she and Michael wouldn't be getting back together. They agreed to stay friends and decided to return to Summer Bay that night.

Cynthia returned to the city the next day, bringing a disappointed Haydn with her. In a surprisingly magnanimous gesture, she separately encouraged Pippa and Michael to get back together again. When Haydn returned to live with his father six weeks later, he revealed that his mum had a new boyfriend. When Haydn returned to Summer Bay in 1994, he told Pippa and Michael that she had (another) new boyfriend.

It's unclear how good Michael's ongoing relationship with Cynthia was. When Haydn fell out with him and returned to live with her later in 1991, he described her as smirking at him.

Personality-wise, Cynthia was competitive and liked the finer things in life. She also was capable of being quite manipulative, something both Michael and Haydn referred to at different times. Still, she also had a kinder side. Before leaving Summer Bay with Haydn, she encouraged both Michael and Pippa (separately) to get back together.

Family[]

Spouse Michael Ross (1974-1989)

Children Haydn Ross, Kate Ross

Appearances[]

1991