Storylines
Lori first arrives in Ramsay Street at the home of her boyfriend, Jack Scully's (Jay Bunyan) parents. Within her first few hours at Number 26, she manages to offend Jack's mother, Lyn, with her straight talking and buying a coconut cake, even with the knowledge that Lyn does not like Coconut and causes further grief when she lets it slip that Jack has given up on soccer after being dropped from his team in England and plans to work for her father in New Zealand.
Lori and Jack eventually sort things out and decide to repeat Year 12 when the school year commences (partly due to work options being limited and the fact neither of them had completed their schooling prior to living in London). The couple go on Schoolies with Jack's sister, Michelle (Kate Keltie), her boyfriend Connor O'Neill (Patrick Harvey) (who Jack knew while in London), Nina Tucker (Delta Goodrem) and Taj Coppin (Jaime Robbie Reyne). Lori notices Jack is distant with her but he assures her that he is committed to her, despite obviously being attracted to Nina.
When Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) writes a play to be performed at the Community Centre, Lori leaps into the project and modernizes it with a space theme in mind with Jack and Nina as the leads, and writes steamy kissing scenes for them, unaware of their apparent attraction. Lori makes an immediate enemy of new principal Candace Barkham, on her first day of Year 12 at Erinsborough High by wearing trousers instead of the regulation school dress for girls. To get back at Barkham, Lori uses an embarrassing photo of Barkham adjusting her underwear, taken by Taj and puts copies all over the school.
As the performance of Mission Erinsborough nears, Lori notices Jack being distant and witnesses an exchange between him and Nina but dismisses it as rehearsing. On the evening of the play, Lori cannot hide her jealousy when Nina and Jack share their big kiss. After Nina dumps Taj without explanation, Lori becomes a friend to him and they begin hanging around together. One day, while messing around at a local pool, Lori slips and falls injuring her back. When Lori wakes up in hospital and cannot feel her legs, Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher) informs her that there is no guarantee that she will ever walk again. Lori is later discharged from hospital and returns to the Scullys.
When Lori challenges Jack on his moods, he confesses that he has been seeing Nina behind Lori and Taj's backs. Taj walks in at that moment and Jack tries to explain, resulting in a fight on the lawn between the boys. Lori finishes with Jack and feels she cannot stay any longer in the house and move in next door with Karl and his wife, Susan.
One day during a massage session with Nurse Dee Bliss (Madeleine West), Lori regains some feeling in her toes and gradually begins to walk again, which is witnessed by Taj. When Taj kisses Lori on the cheek one day, she fears that he may want something more but is relieved when he admits he likes her as a friend. Lori, now back on her feet, enlists the help of Connor to print T-shirts to make some money, even offering to make an advertisement for the Coffee shop featuring Harold in the guise of "Afro Harold". After Michelle leaves for New York, Lori and Connor begin spending time together and sleep together one night, which both regret.
Lori later discovers she is pregnant and Connor is against the idea of being a father and Lori decides to have an abortion. On the day of the scheduled abortion, Connor has a change of heart and tries to talk Lori out of it but she is adamant. However, upon entering the clinic, Lori realises she cannot go through with it and flees in a cab without Connor. Lori asks Jack, of all people to help her pack. Lori leaves two letters; one for the Kennedys thanking them for letting her stay and one for Connor, telling him not to contact her. Lori then leaves for the airport to return to New Zealand.
After giving birth a daughter, Madeleine Lee (Madison Lu), Lori returns to Erinsborough the following year to introduce Madeleine to her father. Lori and Maddy arrive at Lassiter's hotel just as Connor and the recently returned Michelle are leaving. Connor is reluctant to accept his new role as a father after having just rekindled his relationship with Michelle, but eventually grows to bond with Maddy. Jack tries to win Lori back and Lori is tempted but Lyn talks her out of it as she fears she may be hurt again. Lori is offered a job by Gino Esposito (Shane McNamara) in his new salon in Lorne and takes it. To test Jack's loyalty, she tells him a lie that Gino needs new male models to go to Europe which he jumps at the chance to do so, confirming Lyn's suspicions. Lori and Maddie then leave for Lorne.
On Lori's next return, she is with a new partner, Nick Sullivan (Angus Grant), who is very rude to Connor and tries to keep him out of Maddy's life. Lori apologises for Nick's behaviour and reveals that she, Maddy and Nick are moving to Adelaide. One day, Connor snatches Maddy from her pram at Lassiter's when Nick leaves her unattended. Nick is furious but Lori is understanding towards Connor as she realises that Nick is selfish and she feels it is Maddy's best interest to have regular contact with her father and then promptly tells Nick she and Maddy will not be going with him to Adelaide and dumps him. Lori returns to Lorne and lets Connor keep in touch with Maddy as often as he wants. In 2012, Connor reveals that Lori is getting married to a man called Cameron. He attends the wedding and decides to move closer to Lori, so he can spend more time with Maddie.
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