australian television information archive

Gay love at last on All Saints

WHAT woman wouldn't jump at the chance to hand-pick her new love interest from a line-up of handsome suitors?

All Saints star Virginia Gay says being asked to help cast the role of her screen boyfriend was a dream come true.

After two years on air, Gay's no-nonsense charge nurse Gabrielle Jaeger is yet to find romance.

When it was finally her turn, Gay happily said yes.

"When they told me I was getting a love interest I was so excited I walked around grinning for days," she says.

"I mean, can you imagine what it is like to audition potential lovers?

"It was one of the happiest moments of my life."

So, after assessing -- and kissing -- all the potential candidates, Gay settled on the roguish Jack Campbell.

One of Australia's most popular voice artists, Campbell's gravelly tones can be heard in an array of television and radio commercials.

In All Saints he plays Dr Steve Taylor, the man who broke Jaeger's heart in their rural home town and who still harbours a "dark secret".

"The first person I saw when I started on All Saints was Virginia, standing outside waiting to welcome me," Campbell laughs.

"She was very welcoming."

Unlike Gay, Campbell is well suited to play a country bloke. He grew up on a farm and had always believed he was destined to be a farmer until his father was killed in an accident and the family was forced to move. It changed his life forever.

Gay has spent little time in the great outdoors.

"I can't live without cafes and theatres," she says.

"I went to the country once. It seemed nice enough."

By Siobhan Duck
August 29, 2007
Herald Sun