All Saints: profiles


Christopher Gabardi…

Although he grew up in Melbourne, Christopher graduated from NIDA in Sydney in 1991. He has an extensive background in theatre and television and is most remembered for his lead roles in the series Newlyweds from 1992 to 1995, and the series State Coroner from 1997 to 1998, and also appeared in The Man From Snowy River.

More recently he has played some challenging roles with the Melbourne and Sydney Theatre companies as well as guest roles in Stingers and The Secret Life of Us.

Christopher's theatre performance in Cloud 9 for the Melbourne Theatre Company saw him receive a nomination for the 2003 National Theatre Helpman Award for best supporting actor. Other notable performances include the joint MTC/ STC plays Pride and Prejudice and Trelawney of the Wells.

Christopher was also nominated for best supporting actor in the 2003 Green Room awards (peer-voted Victorian acting awards) for his role in Proof with Rachael Griffiths.

Christopher married his partner, Hali, in Melbourne in 2003 and moved to Sydney, where they are currently living. Christopher, following in the family tradition, loves cooking and tending his herb and vegetable garden and is a mad Collingwood supporter.

…as Dr Vincent Hughes

Dr Vincent Hughes is a strong, direct, pragmatic man in his working life though underneath the straightforward exterior he can be playful, has a dry wit and a keen intelligence.

Brought up in a middle class family, he sailed through school with expectations of a successful medical career, wife and family. In his heart, he yearns for a stable peaceful existence - the antithesis of his own family life, as Vincent's parents' relationship was notoriously volatile. Though there was no physical violence, as a child he had to witness their brutal emotional wars.

In medical school he met a light-hearted, slightly crazy girl called Charlotte Beaumont and fell instantly in love with her zest for life. They married in haste and never repented, because their friendship and mutual respect remained strong for the duration, but he had no answer when Charlotte told him the devastating news that she was gay. He carried on with dignity, setting her free without retribution, but it took him more time than he'd care to admit to get over his first real love.

Eventually, he saw opportunities for travel and widening his medical horizons in the army and, after signing up, thrived in the disciplined, secure atmosphere. This is where he met his second love, Karen - a very different woman from Charlotte.

They married and had plans to quit the army after six years and return to Australia to start a family. However, a few months before their planned discharge, Karen, stationed in Timor, was killed in a land mine explosion.

He returned to Australia alone, and used his work to suppress his bitter grief. He believed that life had dealt him an unfair blow and had decided never to give his heart away again. He believed he could survive with being an excellent doctor, keeping his emotions in check and burying his private agony. It was never going to work, but it was at least a plan.

Generally, Vincent is an affable, very likeable man who gets on well with his colleagues and can win his patients' trust easily. But there are still some very raw emotional areas he is refusing to deal with, and therefore he is easily roused to anger. He thought seeing Charlotte Beaumont again might be the key to his recovery, instead he has found a true friend.

And, despite his desire to keep himself protected emotionally, Vincent did find himself in love again. A young Intern, Grace Connelly, stole his heart without him even realising it. Had he understood what was happening, Vincent would've most likely shut down emotionally on her. But Grace wasn't all she seemed and Vincent found himself grieving once again.

Add to that Charlotte's pregnancy to another man, and Vincent has had enough. He is embarking on a path of self-destructive behaviour - if he can't have love, then meaningless sex will do. But like anyone who isn't being true to themselves, Vincent is opening himself up to disaster yet again.