Home and Away’s Jacqui Purvis has revealed that her character Felicity ‘Flick’ Newman almost derails boyfriend Tane Parata’s perfect proposal!
The couple have had a few bumps along the way since they first got together a year ago. After turning their hookups into a real relationship, Tane was heartbroken when commitment-phobe Felicity admitted she wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready to settle down.
But since Flick moved into the Parata house with Tane (Ethan Browne) they couldn’t have been more loved up and Tane is determined to take the next step.
“Tane is so settled with Flick and he’s so comfortable and he’s like, ‘When I know I want something that’s what I want’,” Home and Away star Jacqui told us.
“He’s also a very traditional man, so marriage to him was the next step in the relationship.
“She knows something’s going on because he’s trying to get her to go for a walk and she’s like ‘why are you being weird?’!
“But she just thinks it’s a cute little dinner date or surprise thing like drinks on the beach or a candlelit dinner. Definitely not a proposal. She has NO idea!”
Tane leads Felicity to the lighthouse, the setting for their very first kiss, where he’s laid out a romantic champagne picnic.
Felicity’s brother Cash Newman (Nicholas Cartwright) and Tane’s nephew Nikau Parata (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) are waiting in the wings with ice buckets, while the band secretly set up.
“The proposal scenes are at a beautiful lake location, at the lighthouse in Palm Beach where Home and Away is filmed,” Jacqui revealed.
“It’s stunning and we were so lucky with the weather when we were shooting, it was just blue skies, not a cloud, sunny, hot, it was just so picturesque.
“Tane gets her outside finally and takes her for a walk and then suddenly the band show up and they do a nice little serenade.
“Flick’s like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ and then Tane gets down on one knee!”
Completely floored by the whole situation, Flick runs off! Poor Tane is left wondering if she’s going to turn him down in front of all their friends and family...
“She’s still just processing the fact that she’s being proposed to!” Jacqui shared.
“It’s more that she needs a moment to just go through what’s just happened without an audience watching. It’s not a shutdown, it's like, “I need to just take a second’.
“For so long she’s been thinking that she would never get married and she’d never have kids.
“Because of growing up with the loss of her parents she was like, ‘I don’t want any of that’.
“Here comes this beautiful man who has actually changed her values and changed her opinions and she thinks, ‘Well actually I should think about this’!”
Everyone is relieved when Felicity returns and gives a delighted Tane a firm, ‘Yes’, although she’s still in shock and later confides in Mackenzie Booth (Emily Weir), who reassures her that her wobble is only natural.
It seems like the wedding plans really are on!
After just over a year in Summer Bay, Jacqui has been a firm favourite with the fans since Felicity's first chaotic and explosive appearance. Did she expect to be on a fast track to a soap wedding?
“As an actor, I was very surprised that it was so soon but then I kind of looked at it and thought this is Flick and Tane and they are SO good together. I think it’s a good idea.
“They’re very different but it’s also where they level each other out because Flick’s so spontaneous and spirited that she can be a bit too intense and a bit too flighty.
“Tane brings her down and then she brings Tane up a bit, so it’s a beautiful level out. Marriage is the next step and I think they’re both ready for it.”
Now that the proposal is sorted, what can we expect? Summer Bay weddings are usually packed full of more shocks and drama than the average ceremony!
“Like any engagement it can bring family together so there’s a fun little family reunion going on which will be fun for Flick,” insisted Jacqui.
“Then all I can tease is that there’s a lot of drama, a lot of tear jerking moments but also a lot of love!
“I can’t wait for it to air!”
Home and Away airs weekdays at 1:45 pm on Channel 5 and 6:00 pm on 5Star followed by a 'first look' episode on 5Star at 6:30 pm.
