| Selina Cook | |||||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Tempany Deckert Louise Crawford (1996) | ||||||||||
| Duration | 1994–1998 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 5 May 1994 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 30 March 1998 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former, regular | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Andrew Howie (1994) John Holmes (1998) | ||||||||||
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Selina Cook (also Roberts) is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Tempany Deckert. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 5 May 1994. Deckert was given the role of Selina after her third audition for the show. In 1996, Deckert fell ill and Louise Crawford played Selina in her absence. In 1997, Deckert decided to leave the serial, however briefly returned in 1998. Her return was filmed in Ironbridge, Shropshire, as part of the serial's first ever overseas location filming. Selina's last appearance to date was on 30 March 1998, where she agreed to marry Steven.
Selina was introduced to the show after she developed a crush on her teacher. Selina was portrayed as a tearaway, who had a reputation for being the "town tramp." She often went off the rails, due to arguments with her parents, but she was a good person deep inside. Inside Soap described her as a "tart with a heart who's simply misunderstood." Selina was also a tomboy who regularly dressed in tartan shirts and Doc Martens. Deckert revealed that Selina was supposed to be a clichéd bimbo, so she decided to introduce biker boots to the wardrobe department. Selina later decides to clean up her act and she begins dating Jack Wilson, who she believes is her soul mate. Selina has been central to many "bizarre" storylines such as having a miscarriage at school, being sexually harassed, stalked and entering a relationship with her school teacher Steven Matheson. The character has received mixed reviews from critics. Deckert earned a nomination for "Most Popular Actress" at the Logie Awards, for her portrayal of Selina.