Jodi Gordon shares her heartbreak

[Mistified]

Jodi Gordon shares her heartbreak

The Daily Telegraph

By Erin McWhirter, TV Editor

June 30, 2008 12:00am

In a case of art imitating life, Home and Away star Jodi Gordon will draw on her experience of boyfriend Chris Burkhardt's brave battle against leukaemia to take on one of the most challenging roles of her career.

In her first interview addressing the death of Burkhardt in March 2007, the brave actress revealed she is pushing aside the pain of the loss of her "soul mate" to play the part of a pregnant woman diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It just feels like cancer is just taking over the world," Gordon, 23, told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.

"Anyone who is going through that type of thing, it's a really hard time and you just look to your friends and family and do your best in that situation and then move on."

Putting the past behind her has allowed the former model-turned-actress to throw herself into the gruelling Home and Away storyline, which begins to unravel on air from July 2 when her character Martha discovers a lump in her breast.

"The producer asked me if I wanted to do this storyline and made sure I was comfortable doing it based on what I had been through," says Gordon, who has been dating Channel 7 owner Kerry Stokes's son Ryan for more than 12 months.

"I definitely think this one tops all of them," she said of her latest storyline.

[claire_louise]

Good on her for doing it, it's very brave, but I can't say I'm eager to see this storyline. It just seems like every single one of Jack and Martha's storylines is either incredibly predictable and cliched or a blatant rip-off of something that's already been done - in this case, Steph's cancer storyline on Neighbours. Unfortunately Carla Bonner is a much better actress than Jodi, so Jodi will have her work cut out pulling off anything near as good.

[KaitieL]

Good on her for doing it, it's very brave, but I can't say I'm eager to see this storyline. It just seems like every single one of Jack and Martha's storylines is either incredibly predictable and cliched or a blatant rip-off of something that's already been done - in this case, Steph's cancer storyline on Neighbours. Unfortunately Carla Bonner is a much better actress than Jodi, so Jodi will have her work cut out pulling off anything near as good.

That seems a little harsh and unfair. The two shows always rip each other off. Just because it's happened once in a soap, doesn't mean it can't happen again to someone else. I don't think you can judge until we see how it turns out. I, on the other hand, think she'll do a wonderful job. She has the experience of going through something like this before behind her. And considering how much she's improved in the past three years.

[Zetti]

Good on her for doing it, it's very brave, but I can't say I'm eager to see this storyline. It just seems like every single one of Jack and Martha's storylines is either incredibly predictable and cliched or a blatant rip-off of something that's already been done - in this case, Steph's cancer storyline on Neighbours. Unfortunately Carla Bonner is a much better actress than Jodi, so Jodi will have her work cut out pulling off anything near as good.

Thats harsh especially as my little niece has been diagnosed with cancer, thats just out of order.

[KaitieL]

I think people are just going to prejudge it as crap because they see it as another J&M storyline. And we all know how everyone loves J&M.

[caitrules]

Geez, give her break. Jodi's already proven she can do the emotional storylines. Whether or not Carla's a better actress is a matter of opinion. In any case, they play two different characters and the storyline can go in a completely different direction from the neighbours one.

[Jamey-Maria]

C_L didn't say anything particuarly nasty she's just being cynical, not a crime. People are gonna whinge if they give them shallow love triangles and now they're gonna whinge if they give them something deep and meaningful. You can't please everyne. It will absolutely kill some people to say "I feel sorry for.." Or they won't post about it at all. ANYWAY, thanks for the article. I agree with the line about cancer taking over the world, it feels like everyone is connected to it in some way or another these days.

[ezaz8]

I think that this storyline holds one hell of a lot of potential. Jodi should be able to draw the depth needed for an emotional storyline such as this from her own experiences.

Don't write it off just cos you see "martha" in the title. This is coming from an avid martha/jack depreciator. She has improved phenominally, so I can't wait for this storyline. What H&A have done this year is have old-school storylines that worked and keep them modern and new. you see the spoilers and think "great, ric's got a fightclub sotryline, how boring and predictable", yet when it actually played out I really enjoyed that storyline, as it had many twists and turns noone could have (easily) predicted!

That's just my humble opinion anyway

[-Andrew-]

Good on her for doing it, it's very brave, but I can't say I'm eager to see this storyline. It just seems like every single one of Jack and Martha's storylines is either incredibly predictable and cliched or a blatant rip-off of something that's already been done - in this case, Steph's cancer storyline on Neighbours. Unfortunately Carla Bonner is a much better actress than Jodi, so Jodi will have her work cut out pulling off anything near as good.

Thats harsh especially as my little niece has been diagnosed with cancer, thats just out of order.

Oh come on! You know what she meant, she's talking about J&M...and its really not nice to emotionally corner her with references to ill children like that, that's out of order.

But I also agree with Claire Louise, the writers have this way of writing any serious storylines regarding them in an incredibly corny, cringey manner and it doesn't help with Paul O'B doing his fake 'concerned' voice in every single scene, so yes, some do, and should worry that this will not be played out realistically and respectfully, also considering that they are two of the most fake characters on the show.

[Jamey-Maria]

You do realise that 'every single scene' wouldn't surround them don't you? For it to be played out 'realistically' (which ezaz8 very correctly pointed out h&a have done a fabulous job of this year in almost all aspects) it would involve Morag, Alf, Tony, perhaps Rachel and a bit of Roman. Voicing concern is one thing but using this thread to blatantly bash the characters and actors again is so unecessary.