Christina Alessi

Christina Alessi
Neighbours character
Portrayed by Gayle Blakeney
Duration 1990–1992
First appearance 18 January 1990
Last appearance 4 August 1992
Introduced by Don Battye
Classification Former; regular
Profile
Other names
  • Christina Robinson
  • Linda Giles (Witness Protection Identity)
Occupation Lassiter's Gift Shop Manager (1990)
Home Sydney

Christina Robinson (previously Alessi) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Gayle Blakeney. She made her first on-screen appearance on 18 January 1990, when she moved into Ramsay Street with her twin sister, Caroline. Christina marries Paul Robinson and gives birth to their son, Andrew. Christina departed on 5 August 1992 with Paul and Andrew, following Paul's relocation to Hawaii. Caroline, Christina's twin sister, was played by Gayle's real-life twin, Gillian Blakeney.

Characterisation

Out of the two sisters, Christina is described as being the quieter and more reserved one, a contrast to the confident Caroline.[1] Christina's ambition in life was to be a good wife and mother and she was described as being "homeloving and maternal".[2] She was also seen as the weaker sister by Caroline.[2]

Storylines

Christina and Caroline witness a murder and are placed under a witness protection programme, which sees them move into 22 Ramsay Street.[1] They are advised to act as one person by the police and they chose the alias 'Linda Giles'. Caroline begins working for Paul Robinson at The Robinson Corporation and proved to be good at the job, unlike Christina. During an occasion that Christina is posing as Linda, Paul discovers their secret when Caroline walked in on him and Christina. The police eventually caught the murderer after he appeared in Ramsay Street after tracking the twins down, and they were able to go back to being themselves. They then invite Paul to move in with them and he agrees. Both Christina and Caroline fell for Paul and make a pact that neither one should have him. Christina get managing the gift shop at Lassiter's Hotel, surprising Paul and Caroline by her success.

Christina decides to pursue Paul after Caroline starts dates Adam Willis and are delighted when Paul announces that he is in love. However, Paul is talking about Isabella Lopez (Mich White), a woman who he has gotten engaged to while he was away on business in Argentina. Christina is devastated and takes an instant dislike to Isabella. After some digging, Christina exposes Isabella's intentions of getting Paul's money and gaining Australian citizenship. Christina believed that she and Paul were going to be together, but he announces he is finished with women for good. During a holiday with Paul, Adam and Rory Marsden (Tom Jennings), Christina begins flirting with Rory to make Paul jealous, which works and Paul admits to Christina that he loves her. They get engaged and shortly after, they marry and have the reception on a cruise ship.[3] Christina thinks she is pregnant and Paul is thrilled by the news and looks forward to being a father again. However, Christina is old by a doctor that she was not pregnant and, feeling guilty about getting Paul's hopes up, she decides not to tell him and tries to sleep with Paul at every moment to get pregnant. She eventually falls pregnant and when she went into labour, Paul drives her to the hospital, but the car runs out of petrol and stopped. Paul eventually manages to persuade an ice cream van driver to take them to the hospital. Christina then gave birth to a son, Andrew (Shannon Holmes).[4]

Following Paul's nervous breakdown following financial problems, he leaves Christina and Andrew for several weeks. When Paul returns, he brings his 8-year-old daughter Amy (Sheridan Compagnino) with him much to Christina's surprise. Christina and Amy struggle to get along but make up just before Amy is returned to her mother, Nene (Leigh Morgan). When Caroline abruptly leaves Erisnborough, Christina is shocked and later over hears Paul and his Grandmother Helen (Anne Haddy) talking about Paul and Caroline's affair. Christina throws Paul out of their house and flies to see her sister, where they eventually made up and Christina returned to Erinsborough, where she files for divorce and full custody of Andrew, but Paul convinces Christina that he loved her and Christina gives him a second chance. They renew their vows in a ceremony at No. 22 and left Ramsay Street for a new start running a hotel in Hawaii. and later move to Brazil.[4] Their marriage later falls apart in the intervening years when Paul returns to Australia to serve a 7 year-prison sentence for fraud and they later divorce.

When Andrew (now Jordan Smith) arrives in Erinsborough to see his father, he tells Paul that after living in Scotland for eight years, he and Christina eventually settled down in Sydney.[5] Andrew begins acting up and defying Rebecca, Paul's latest wife, she calles Christina and askes if Andrew could go back to Sydney. However, Christina tells Rebecca that she doesn't want her son to come home.

Reception

The BBC named Christina's most notable moment as being "When she took off with Andrew without Paul knowing."[6] An Inside Soap writer opined that Christina was not as smart as Caroline but the more "dim, slightly podgier twin".[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Cooper, Lorna (17 March 2010). "TV's Neighbours: where are they now? – Gayle and Gillian Blakeney". MSN TV. Microsoft. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  2. 1 2 Monroe, Josephine (1996). Neighbours: the first 10 years. Michael Joseph LTD (Penguin Group). pp. 18 & 116. ISBN 0-7181-4212-8.
  3. ↑ "TV weddings – Paul and Christina". TV Week. Ninemsn. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Paul Robinson". Neighbours.com. Australia: Network Ten. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
  5. ↑ "Andrew Robinson Bio". Neighbours.com. Network Ten. Archived from the original on 25 January 2011. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
  6. ↑ "Character: Christina Alessi Robinson". BBC. Archived from the original on 11 April 2004. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  7. ↑ "The love low-down". Inside Soap. Hachette Filipacchi UK (17): 50. 30 April – 6 May 2005.
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