Home and Away cast snap confirms Sophie and Patrick's exit

Home and Away fans have been left devastated after a seemingly innocent photo of the cast was shared on Instagram. In the snap, smiling cast members stand with producers on the beach during a day of filming.

Lynne McGranger, who plays Irene Roberts on the soap, shared the photo to welcome the newest cast member Kyle Shilling. The Indigenous rapper is taking on the role of Mali Hudson who has a link to a fan-favourite character.

While at first glance there’s nothing out of the ordinary in the sweet photo, fans immediately noticed that Sophie Dillman (Ziggy Astoni) and Patrick O’Connor (Dean Thompson) were missing.

Rumours have been swirling around their exit since a fan saw the pair filming a goodbye scene on location earlier this year. In the scene, the couple were loading their vehicle before departing the bay.

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Since then, fans haven’t spotted the on and off-screen couple filming at Palm Beach. Instead, Sophie and Patrick have been travelling over the last few months, and Patrick has bleached his hair blonde.

Fans were quick to point out that there were ‘a few missing’ from the cast snap, and Lynne appeared to confirm Sophie and Patrick’s exit from the show.

“Heartbroken that Dean and Ziggy have left,” one fan wrote, before adding in another comment: “Someone said yesterday they filmed final scenes in September."

Lynne corrected the fan and said it was ‘July/August’, which prompted an outpouring of love on social media.

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“Ziggy and Dean [better] not leave Home and Away, would not be the same without them,” a fan wrote.

“I think Dean is one of the most relatable characters…gutted,” a second remarked.

“It is sometimes easy to forget the characters are actors and some want to move on to other roles or take a break. It’s sad but as long as the storylines are good, it’s great to see new talent coming along,” another added.

Yahoo Lifestyle has reached out to Seven for comment.

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