The co-star of Home and Away and Logie nominee for this year, Lynne McGranger, has said her initial thoughts about Johnny Ruffo were “so, so wrong” and how she has since come to love him.
After Ruffo joined the Channel 7 drama in 2013, having gained notoriety from his participation on The X Factor, the two got to know one another.
In an interview with 7Life, McGranger recalled watching Ruffo while he was a contestant on the singing competition and “thinking he was such a talent.”
She recalled, “To be honest, I probably rolled my eyes and thought, bloody reality television celebrity, when he came onto the show.
“I did watch him on X Factor, and I remember thinking he was a handsome, intelligent, humorous, and brilliant guy.
When I realised he wasn’t an actor, I rolled my eyes and asked, “Well, what the hell is he doing here?”
Despite her early impressions of the singer, according to McGranger, after his first day on set, they got along like a house on fire.
“Those initial thoughts of mine were so, so wrong,” she said. It was untrue to the fullest extent possible because of his diligence and intense desire to succeed and advance his acting knowledge.
“Johnny doesn’t take himself too seriously, you know, for a young, handsome, and talented man — he must have had women falling over him.”
McGranger claimed that the two “hit it off from day one” and that he calls her his “East Coast Mama” because his true mother resides in Western Australia.
Ruffo, who was born and reared in Western Australia, moved to Sydney after becoming well-known.
The 35-year-old has been fighting terminal brain cancer and has kept his followers informed of his progress along the way.
With a picture of himself in a hospital bed, he declared on Instagram in June that he was “still kicking this thing’s arse.”
Throughout his struggle, McGranger has shown her support for Ruffo by writing the words “Darling friend” in a comment on one of his photos.
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