| Celia Stewart | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Home and Away character | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Portrayed by |
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| Duration | 1988–1990, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2012–2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 26 January 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | 5 March 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Introduced by |
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Celia Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away played by Fiona Spence. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 26 January 1988. The character is portrayed as a gossiping busybody and spinster who occupies her time with the Presbyterian church. In her early appearances, she formed an alliance with Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn) and, though she has conservative views, she is not malicious. After one year as Celia, Spence hoped that she would find romance and change her attire. Producers decided to implement change and added smart outfits to the character's wardrobe. Spence decided to leave the series in 1990 and Celia departed the same year. She has since reprised the role on four occasions. After carrying out missionary work in Africa she returned to Summer Bay in 2000, 2002 and 2005. In 2012, it was announced that Spence had agreed to return once again. Originally heralded as the chance for Celia to reconnect with her on-screen brother, Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher), it was later revealed that she was hiding a shameful secret.