
Debra Lawrance (born January 1957) played Pippa Fletcher (later, Ross) from 1990 to 2009. She left Home and Away in 1998 but returned intermittently from 2000-2009 as a guest.[1] Debra took over the role of Pippa from Vanessa Downing and nobody seemed to bat an eyelid at the dramatic overnight change in Summer Bay's favourite mum. In 1992 Debra married co-star Dennis Coard who had been brought in to play Pippa's second husband Michael Ross.
Pre H&A Career[]
Debra grew up in the countryside, east of Melbourne. After leaving school, she trained as an actor at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). She graduated in 1977 with a degree in Dramatic Art [2]. Her classmates included acting legends Mel Gibson, Judy Davis, Sally McKenzie and Steve Bisley.
She appeared in numerous roles, including two small parts in Prisoner. She first played a nurse, then a trainee officer named Sally Dean (ironic how she would become an on-screen foster mother to another Sally). In 1985-86 she had a larger role on Prisoner, as garden-loving prisoner Daphne Graham. She had a small role in the Meryl Streep/Sam Neill film A Cry in the Dark (1988) [3], again playing a character named Sally! In 1980 she played Maggie Kelly in the acclaimed TV mini-series The Last Outlaw. In 1983 she played Lisa Cook in Sons and Daughters. In 1985-1986 she played Pat in the acclaimed TV series The Fast Lane.
Home and Away 1990-1998[]

As Pippa (1991)
When Vanessa Downing quit the role of Pippa in 1990, Debra auditioned for the role, along with her close friend Jackie Woodburne.[4] Although Jackie didn't win the role of Pippa, she later joined the cast of Neighbours as Susan Kennedy (1994 - ). In 2018-19, Debra appeared on Neighbours as Jackie's on-screen sister.
A few months after Debra started working on Home and Away, producers cast Dennis Coard as Pippa's future husband. The on-screen chemistry between the two actors spilled over into real life and they quietly married for real on 29th February 1992. When Debra revealed that she was expecting her first child a few months later the writers made Pippa pregnant too. For dramatic purposes, it was accepted that Pippa's new baby couldn't be in the show for long. And so, baby Dale died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome when he was just 2 months old. The episode in which he died (Ep 1222) won the 1993 Australian Film Institute award for "Best Episode in a Television Drama Serial".
Debra left Home and Away in 1998. Dennis had already left (Michael was killed off in 1996). They relocated to her native Melbourne but she continued to return to Home and Away for guest appearances until 2009. When asked would she consider returning to the show, her answer was "The short answer is, there are other people living in my house so how can I go back? I’m not staying in a caravan!"[5]
1998-2000[]

Debra in Blue Heelers (2001-2004)
As well as touring in theatre productions, Debra continued to work on TV. From 2001 to 2004 she played Rev. Grace Curtis, the love interest of Tom Croydon in the long-running police series Blue Heelers. In 1999 she and Dennis had their second child - a son called Will.
Return to Home and Away (2000-2009)[]
Debra made guest appearances on Home and Away in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Debra's final guest appearances were in 2009. In interviews she has given since, she has repeatedly indicated that she has no interest in reprising her role as Pippa. In 2021 Debra was invited onto the Talking Prisoner podcast. During it, she spoke about her time on Home and Away, how she felt replacing Vanessa Downing, being the third person to play Pippa, meeting Dennis, the SIDS storyline and why she ultimately left the show.
2009-[]

Debra in 2016
Debra has worked steadily since leaving Home and Away. In recent years she has had guest or recurring roles on The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Jack Irish, Wentworth Prison, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Fisk, Five Bedrooms, Ricky Stanicky, Human Error, Darby & Joan and Scrublands. She was acclaimed for her role as Josh Thomas's mother in the award-winning Please Like Me (2013-2016) [6] She won the 2015 AACTA Award (Australian Academy award) for Best Performance in a Television Comedy and the 2017 Logie Award for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress for this role.
In July 2018 Debra made her debut on Neighbours, playing Susan Kennedy's sister Liz. Pippa she was not, going by Debra's own description of the character. "She is quite egocentric, very selfish and quite flighty. She has got a lot of issues. I don't think fans will like her because she does some pretty horrible things." She made some further appearances in 2019 but to date has not returned
For many years, Debra and Dennis were ambassadors for Barnardos Australia. Since the death of a close friend from ovarian cancer, she has been an ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Australia.[7]When she isn't acting, she works as a voice coach [8] helping people to understand and use their voices.
As well as acting, Debra is no stranger to reality TV. In 2017 she won the Australian Version of Hell's Kitchen. In 2023 she appeared on the reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here". In August 2024 Debra joined the cast of the London West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child[9]
Debra is active on Instagram [10] and if you keep your eye out, you might just spot photos of some old faces from Home and Away and beyond.

Dennis, Debra and a plant.
Refs[]
- ↑ Debra Lawrance's Wikipedia Entry
- ↑ Debra Lawrance's CV
- ↑ A Cry in the Dark (IMDB)
- ↑ Home and Away: What you never knew about Pippa (news.com.au)
- ↑ Debra Lawrance Interview, Digital Spy, Nov 2016
- ↑ Please Like Me (Wikipedia)
- ↑ Debra Lawrance takes home Hell’s Kitchen crown
- ↑ Women finding their voice (ABC Radio interview)
- ↑ https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-names-new-cast-releases-additional-tickets
- ↑ Debra Lawrance's Instagram