| Chris Harrington | |||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Johnny Ruffo | ||||||||
| Duration | 2013–2016 | ||||||||
| First appearance | 1 April 2013 | ||||||||
| Last appearance | 22 September 2016 | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Lucy Addario | ||||||||
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Christopher Eugene "Chris" Harrington is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Johnny Ruffo. The character made his first screen appearance on 1 April 2013. He was introduced as the brother of Spencer Harrington (Andrew Morley). Ruffo was a well-known professional singer and had previously auditioned for two other roles in the show. He was initially a guest character, but Ruffo was later promoted to the regular cast. With some personality traits resembling his own, Ruffo believed the character was especially written for him. Chris is characterised as a "cheeky" traveler who comes from a wealthy family. He is not academically gifted and prefers to spend his time trying to impress the show's female characters. Ruffo requested that writers make his character "more in-depth" so he could show his emotional range. Producers also introduced a comedic pairing with long-running character Irene Roberts (Lynne McGranger).
His first relationship storyline revolves around Indi Walker (Samara Weaving) and they face relationship problems because of her ex-partner's terminal illness and the arrival of Chris' ex-girlfriend Robyn Sullivan (Alexandra Park). He later goes on to share a romance with Denny Miller (Jessica Grace Smith), which writers developed into a "love-triangle" plot and resulted in Denny choosing to be with Casey Braxton (Lincoln Younes). Another romantic entanglement was devised for the character when he was coupled with Hannah Wilson (Cassie Howarth). Other storylines include Chris' need to look after his brother Spencer. Despite Chris' attempts to help, Spencer causes a rift between them. The show also highlighted the dangers of eating wild mushrooms which resulted in Chris accidentally poisoning two fellow characters. In 2014, Ruffo's contribution to the show was recognised with a Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent nomination. On 27 April 2016, it was announced Ruffo was to leave Home and Away and Chris made his final appearance on 22 September 2016.