The past has come back to haunt Neighbours’ Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) in the shape of bad boy ex Vance Abernathy (Conrad Coleby), who has come to Erinsborough on the arm of her wild child niece Roxy Willis (Zima Anderson), who has no idea her older lover dated her Auntie T in their reckless teenage years.

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Knowing he’s trouble, Terese is desperate to dispatch Vance and tries to meddle in his relationship with Roxy – but is she just trying to avoid temptation herself?

On Friday 24th May the ball-breaking businesswoman is flustered as Vance lays on the charm and reminds her of their lusty youth, leading to a flirty moment when they’re alone in the kitchen late one night…

Coleby, also known to Australian soap fans for his two-year stint as Roman Harris in Home and Away (2007-2009), spoke to RadioTimes.com about joining Neighbours and teased what’s in store for Vance and Terese.

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Vance has a dodgy background and a chequered history – are his feelings for Roxy genuine?
Yes, he’s very much in love with her, but there is a big age difference. But he’s also had this previous relationship with Terese… He ruffles a lot of feathers in Erinsborough, I think he’s done his research before he arrives so he knows what he’s walking into. He knows what games to play and the buttons to push.

Is it a coincidence he is dating Roxy, the niece of his ex?
Roxy and Vance had a chance meeting through another character living in the household. I think Vance falls for Roxy because he sees so much of Terese in her, or at least the way Terese was before she became a sensible businesswoman. So it needles Terese to see Vance in a relationship with her niece who is a third of her age! He makes a point of showing Terese how much she’s changed, she used to be quite wild and Vance forces her to question whether the life she has chosen for herself with Paul is really who she is.

What’s the dynamic like between Vance and Terese now?
Vance was deeply hurt by her leaving him years ago, and he has a grudge. His love for Roxy is real, but Terese is one of those people he will never not love. He was deeply wounded by the way she left and he has come to annoy her!

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Would Vance fight Paul for Terese?
He definitely has a bit of a crack at Paul and tries to annoy him. In Vance’s mind he thinks Terese has chosen the safe option – Vance has a very healthy ego about himself!

Is Vance on a mission to win Terese back?
I don’t think he’s too sure himself. He comes to Erinsborough to make a new start with Roxy and to kind of irritate Terese by dating this younger version of her. But that starts to change, he does actually miss her which is why he plays all these childish games.

How does working on Neighbours compare to Home and Away?
I’ve experienced the fast pace of serial TV before, but Home and Away was probably 20% slower paced than Neighbours although it was still high pressured. These shows are great training grounds because you’ve got to be prepared and do your homework if you want to shine, that’s why it creates these fantastic actors who go onto have great careers. Once you’ve mastered the pace of a show like Neighbours you can walk onto a film set and will probably be able to do it standing on your head.

Was it nice to reunite with fellow Summer Bay alumni Jodi Anasta (Elly)?
Yes, she played Martha - it was great to catch-up with her again on the Neighbours set. I hadn’t seen her for years so it was nice to catch up on everything that’s been happening in our lives.

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