Martha MacKenzie

Martha Holden (nee Stewart, previously MacKenzie) was born on September 1988 (Episode 169). She is the daughter of Roo Stewart and Brett Macklin and was the subject of a major storyline in that year. Martha was given up for adoption as a baby but returned in March 2005 (Episode 3928). She left in June 2010 (Episode 5093). Martha was played by Burcin Kapkin as a baby in 1988 and from 2005 to 2010 by Jodi Gordon

1988[]

Martha Stewart was born on 8th September 1988. She was the daughter of Roo Stewart and was the result of a short-lived fling with the wealthy Brett Macklin. She was named after her grandmother Martha Stewart, who was believed to be dead at the time. Martha's paternal grandfather was Gordon Macklin, an unpleasant but rich business tycoon. Her other grandfather was Alf Stewart, who you may have heard of. Roo and Brett agreed to put her up for adoption, after both accepting that they weren't capable of being good parents to their child.

2005-2010[]

Martha McKenzie and Jack Holden — Martha and Jack

After her adoptive parents died, Martha went in search of her biological ones. Her father Brett didn't want to know her but her mother Roo definitely did. She went to live with Roo for a while in New York and also reconnected with her grandfather Alf and great-aunt Morag. Now 18, she returned to Summer Bay with her grandfather Alf in 2005.

Martha had many love interests during her time in Summer Bay. The most significant one was her on-off relationship with Jack Holden. The pair married, divorced and remarried. She was widowed in 2009 when Jack was shot in the chest. While split from Jack, she had a relationship with Jack's friend Ash Nader. She didn't know that Ash was already married and had a family of his own. When she found out she was pregnant with his child in 2007, she had an abortion.

Martha's life went into a downward spiral after this. As well as having a dodgy boyfriend - Cam Reynolds - she became a pole dancer at a strip club. The scenes filmed for H&A caused some controversy in Australia at the time and were considered to be a bit too steamy.

In 2008, Martha became pregnant again but wasn't sure who the father was. To add to the complications, she discovered she had breast cancer. She opted not to have chemotherapy in order to save her baby. Unfortunately, she miscarried the child.

She left Summer Bay in 2010 in the company of Jack's cousin Hugo.