Debra Lawrance

Debra Lawrance as Pippa Ross (1991)

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. Infamously, Debra took over the role of Pippa from Vanessa Downing and nobody seemed to bat an eyelid. In 1992 Debra married Dennis Coard who played Pippa's second husband Michael Ross from 1990-1996.

Pre H&A Career

Debra grew up in the countryside, in a suburb of Melbourne. After leaving school, she trained as an actor in the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). She graduated in 1977 with a degree in Dramatic Art . 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 a girl named 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) , again playing a character named Sally!

Home and Away 1990-1998

When Vanessa Downing quit the role of Pippa in 1990, Debra auditioned for the role, along with her close friend Jackie Woodburne. Although Jackie didn't land the role of Pippa, she went on to become a household name in her own right when she was cast as Susan Kennedy in Neighbours (1994-2022, 2023-). 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 chemistry between the two actors spilled over into real life and they began to secretly date. They quietly married for real on 29th February 1992. When Debra revealed that she was expecting her first child later in that year, the writers made Pippa pregnant too. This culminated in the heart-breaking H&A storyline where Pippa and Michael's little son Dale died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Happily Debra and Dennis's real-life daughter Grace is alive and well but understandably, the cot death plot was difficult for both of them.

Debra left Home and Away in 1998, returning for guest appearances for the next decade or so. Her last appearance was in 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!"

1998-2000

Debra in Blue Heelers (2001-2004)

After Debra left Home and Away in 1998, she and Dennis relocated closer to her native Melbourne. As well as touring in theatre productions, she 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. Off-screen, she gave birth to her 2nd 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. Going by what she has to say in this interview, it's highly unlikely she will return to the show.

2009-

Debra in 2016

Debra has continued to work steadily since her last stint on Home and Away. She has made guest appearances on The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Wentworth Prison, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Fisk, Clickbait, Five Bedrooms, Shut Up and Class of 07. She was acclaimed for her role as Josh Thomas's mother in the award-winning Please Like Me (2013-2016) 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 she 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. Will she be back, now that Neighbours has been saved? Who knows.

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.When she isn't acting, she works as a voice coach 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"

Debra is on Instagram 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.