Fair City star announces departure from show and gets ready for huge life move

RTE Fair City star Connie Doona has announced her departure from the show as she gets ready to welcome her first child.

The Dublin actress and her co-star boyfriend Shane Quigley Murphy will become first time parents this summer.

Connie who plays Zoe Allen on the hit RTE series has now filmed her final scenes on the show as the soap records weeks in advance of hitting screens. 

Before heading on her maternity leave, Connie told the RTE Guide how the production team have helped her hide the pregnancy while shooting episodes.

She said: “The costume department has been fantastic, and Zoe’s fashion sense is very loose and casual anyway, so it’s really easy to hide.”

The actress explained how she has completely wrapped filming, but hopes to be “back by the end of the year”.

Connie’s character, Zoe is currently caught up in the on-going murder investigation of Laura Halpin’s body, which was buried in the community garden.

She added: “It’s such a delicate subject, how to make the streets feel safer for women. So to be given the chance to talk about it is always great.”

The Dubliner also opened up about her relationship with Shane Quigley Murphy and how they met on set.

Connie told how their friendship blossomed into a romance in the past year as she said: “I met him for the first time at the beginning of last year and then we started seeing each other that summer, so yeah, we built up a friendship. Not only did we work together but we were both going through very similar life events.

“We found that we had a lot in common, and it was one of those typically cliched things where wed sit down for a chat and an hour would pass and you’d be like, ‘Oh, God, I actually have things to do.’

“We just completely bonded the first time we met, which was great, and then that friendship evolved. He’s just the best.”

Connie highlighted how it’s “such an advantage” to be with someone who “understands acting and scheduling” and who shares the “same experience in terms of work”.

And Fair City is expected to take a break from production in July and August due to recent cost-cutting measures.

Last November, RTE announced a minimum of €10 million in cuts planned for 2024.

RTE’s Deputy Director General Adrian Lynch emailed his staff announcing that the cuts were necessary in order to address “immediate and significant financial challenges”.

And Fair City star Amy Kirwan has admitted the filming break “wasn’t the best news” for her.

Options

“It’s unusual for a soap to stop. But it does give actors the option to maybe find some other work during that time which isn’t a bad thing either.”

Amy and her French hubby Cedric have three kids together – 12-year-old twins Pearl and Reuben and eight-year-old son Arthur.  

The actress revealed some of her summer plans now that she has some time off.

She said: “For a parent it’s kind of good in a sense. I’m off when they’re off school. So there’ll be none of the trying to juggle work and camps.

“My parents have a place in Spain so we’ll be heading over there for a few weeks. We’re also going over to France for a few days for a family wedding.

“So I’ve lots of bits and pieces coming up, it’s nice.”