Neighbours launches a shocking new storyline for Shane Rebecchi (Nicholas Coghlan) as the lovable dad is revealed as a secret drug addict.
Stressed out from studying, working and keeping his family afloat, Shane has been hiding a growing reliance on prescription meds to get him through. Roxy Willis finds a bag of illegal substances on Tuesday 18th August and is about to hand it to the cops, but panicked Shane stops her and is forced to come clean the gear is his.
Persuading reeling Rox to keep quiet and promising to kick the habit, Shane’s dark secret is safe on Neighbours – for now. However, the hard-hitting plot will lead to some terrifying times for the Rebecchi clan. In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, soap favourite Coghlan tells us more.
Were you shocked when you heard about the storyline?
I was excited for something big and meaty to get my teeth into, this is far and away one of the biggest things I’ve had on the show. Because of Shane’s criminal past in his backstory there’s always been a darkness that needed to be revealed at some point. Maybe this is just the beginning!
What drove him to start taking drugs?
An accumulative effect of stress mainly about his panic over studying, plus life in general and not coping with everything. He started off with ADHD medication, that escalated into amphetamines as a study aid to stay up late. He has a dealer, which is part of a much bigger drug dealing storyline occurring around him. This is typical impulsive behaviour from Shane, he has no concept of consequences and acts out based on a current need. He thought it wouldn’t do much harm and he’d deal with the fallout later.
How does he persuade Roxy to keep quiet?
He bargains, like a good addict does, and commits to going cold turkey in order for her to keep the secret. It’s a complicated exchange, he convinces her pretty quickly as she is so trusting and wants the best for him. Shane actually abuses their relationship and manipulates her quite seriously – and it’s going to get worse.
What is the impact on their friendship, considering their history?
Their dynamic is reversed, Shane is now the wrongdoer, he is the child and Roxy is the adult! There are some lovely scenes and it’s a nice, interesting progression of the relationship. It’s a fantastic part of the storyline how it deepens and further explores Shane and Roxy’s characters, they have some deep and meaningful conversations.
If Dipi found out, would this be the end of their marriage?
Their 20th anniversary is coming up which only adds to the pressure and Shane’s feelings of being a failure. There is a warped sense of masculine pride in there that led to this, his impulsiveness and fear of being discovered and failing all manifests. While he and Dipi clearly have a lot to celebrate, his tunnel vision about his addiction and beliefs about himself and what he should be will cause more problems…
What else can you tease about the future of the storyline?
Shane becomes fairly brutal towards Roxy and incredibly cruel as he tries to shut her down from exposing him. I don’t know how Shane can come back from what he eventually does.
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