Home and Away's Paddy O'Connor shares Dean's horror as Ziggy goes missing after birth

EXCLUSIVE: Home and Away actor Patrick O’Connor has explained how Dean fears the worst when he realises Ziggy has gone missing shortly after giving birth to their daughter

Patrick O’Connor, a protagonist of the television series Home and Away, has discussed how Dean feels when he learns Ziggy has vanished.

The 30-year-old made his Channel 5 soap opera début in 2018 as River Boy Dean Thompson and has since gained popularity among viewers.

Ziggy, portrayed by Sophie Dillman, is still frustrated that her child hasn’t connected with her in scenes that will broadcast the following week.

Dean purchases breast pumps so he can feed the infant at night while Ziggy catches up on sleep in an effort to make things simpler for his partner.

Dean feeds their infant daughter before going to slumber. When he awakens, he finds Ziggy has vanished.

Actor Paddy stated Dean fears the worst at this precise time as he starts searching and leaving Ziggy frantic voicemails.

He exclusively told Daily Star, “I think he does think the worst because he saw the way Ziggy was acting before the disappearing and was worried it was becoming a little too much.”

“I think he tried his best to tell her that this is what happens,” the Australian actor continued.

Although it’s typical for new mothers to feel overwhelmed, he was very concerned when Ziggy suddenly vanished because she usually just confronts problems head-on.

When Justin finds Ziggy dozing off in the back of the car when he gets to work, she eventually tells Dean that she is having trouble.

Isabella “Izzy” Astoni-Thompson is the baby’s name after Ziggy appears to be in a better position following some advice from Irene.

Sharing the meaning behind the name, Sophie said: “Isabella is an Italian name and that links to Astoni. But also it’s a professional surfer’s name. So I think it was a really cool combination.”

The 29-year-old added: “But I think it was great that Ziggy got the opportunity to give the name and that was a moment of connection. It was a moment that her and Izzy got to share together and gave her a bit of strength.”

The actress revealed that before coming up with Isabella, the writers were using names that Paddy and Sophie had mentioned in their lives, including the name of Sophie’s best friend as well as Winnie – the name of their pet dog.