Lauren Carpenter - Storylines

Storylines

"Lauren broke up a marriage, lost her boyfriend, hurt her back, lost her job, then turned to religion, all in the space of 13 months."

Lauren arrives in Erinsborough on her horse Chucka Mental much to the surprise of her father, Lou. While riding on the beach, Lauren catches the eye of Brad Willis. Lauren soon learns Brad is engaged to Beth Brennan, who is lodging with her and Lou. There is clearly an attraction between Lauren and Brad and they give into it by having sex on the beach. Lauren feels guilty but continues to see Brad. When Brad's cousin, Cameron Hudson (Benjamin Grant Mitchell) asks Lauren out on a date, she accepts to ward off suspicion. Cameron then discovers Brad and Lauren's affair and leaves Erinsborough in disgust. On the day of Brad and Beth's wedding, Beth realises the truth and can see the attraction between Brad and Lauren, who is her bridesmaid and calls off the ceremony.

Lauren and Brad become a couple shortly after an STD scare. Brad develops a gambling addiction and leaves Erinsborough to work on a cruise ship as a distraction for several months. In Brad's absence, Lauren finds company in the form of Irish Jockey, Connor Cleary. Connor asks Lauren to come away to Hong Kong with him, but she ultimately refuses. When Brad returns, Lauren finds him in a compromising situation when he is zipping up the back of his ex-girlfriend Lucy Robinson's (Melissa Bell) dress when she visits him at home to welcome him back. Brad assures her nothing is going on between him and Lucy, but he and Lauren end things.

Lauren is crushed when she learns Brad and Beth are getting back together. Shortly after Lauren suffers a back injury while riding and is later drawn into a religious cult by new friends Jacob and Ruth. Lou and all of Lauren's friends are concerned for her but she is unwilling to listen. The leader of the cult Barrabas (Aidan Fenessy) tries to get Lauren to have sex with him but she manages to escape. Shortly after Brad and Beth marry and leave for Perth, Lauren finds herself in the company of Wayne, who previously dated Beth. They begin dating, but this fizzles out. When Lou moves his new girlfriend Cheryl Stark (Caroline Gillmer) and her teenage children Brett (Brett Blewitt) and Danni (Eliza Szonert) into the house, Lauren feels squeezed out and is relieved when her old boss offers her job back and she leaves for Queensland. Lauren later marries and gives birth to a son, Mason. When Lauren suffers a riding accident, Lou goes to help her.