Home and Away’s new storyline involving the fan-favorite couple, Ziggy Astoni and Dean Thompson, has left some fans questioning whether Ziggy is pregnant in real life. The doubts of the fan aren’t unfounded, it seems. With the actors dating in real life, eyebrows are bound to be raised.
Sophie Dillman, who plays Ziggy Astoni, has some news for us. Recently, she admitted that it has been “really strange” donning the role of a pregnant woman with her real-life boyfriend and co-star, Patrick O’Connor. So, does it mean that she is pregnant too?
Is Sophie pregnant?
Sophie recently confessed that while she isn’t pregnant in real life, playing a pregnant woman with certain roadblocks has left her feeling strange and scared. On the show, Sophie, who plays Ziggy, encounters a lot of obstacles on her route to pregnancy. This has led to fights with Dean (Patrick O’Connor) and even entailed a hospital rush after inhaling toxic insolvents during a day out at the Summer Bay Auto.
Sophie seems to mirror Ziggy’s initial shock by stating that it was “weird” for her. She says:
“I don’t think you think about it [pregnancy] properly until you’ve actually experienced them. But I’m fake experiencing them, so I now have to think about it.”
However, she is also oddly enthusiastic about taking on this new experience. In one of her recent interviews, she says:
“It’s really weird, but it’s been really fun. Really, really fun playing a pregnant woman with food cravings and nausea and mood swings.”
What has Ziggy’s pregnancy been like for her on the show?
For the longest time, Zig had a hard time adjusting to the consequences of pregnancy. Sophie Dillman chimes into this fact describing that she (Zig) is “in denial about her whole life-changing.” She acknowledges the perfectionist and self-reliant “superwoman” qualities of Zig, but there’s a limit. Zig has to realize that she cannot do it all on her own.
On the show, Ziggy inhaling the toxic fumes from her work at the garage seems to be the last straw she draws in the resistance to the issue. Fortunately, she was found by Tane, and the baby was safe.
However, in the latest episode, Ziggy returns earlier than planned from a surfing trip with Dean and is shown disappointed with having to give up on her dreams. Later in the episode, Dean gives a hearty and motivational push to her to chase her dreams with an upcoming surfing competition after realizing that he might be holding her back. He promises to wait for her at Summer Bay for as long as possible.
Sophie’s thoughts about having babies
Sophie certainly likes the idea of having kids. However, she revealed her struggles with a condition known as “chronic endometriosis.” The symptoms, which can last for years altogether, can cause uneven complications before/during pregnancy. It also lessens the occurrences of spontaneous conception.
In a vulnerable message, she explains that she would rather not stress about being pregnant and having kids. She elucidates:
“My decision on thinking about children and my fertility is that I’m not going to worry about it until I’m ready, or properly thinking about having a child — which isn’t yet. [I don’t want to] spend all those years stressing about [it], and then maybe I can’t even have a baby”.
The star has also claimed to be transparent about her infertility issues with all her partners, including her current beau, Patrick. In a statement, she opened up about the difficulties about the struggles:
“It can be really scary for some people to have those conversations, but there’s so many options for fertility now, and fertility treatments, IVF, adoption, and it’s not as scary when you talk about it more, you know.”
She also recently told in an interview how her first date with Patrick was a scene of rushing to the hospital because of her endometriosis. The pain got the worse of her when she has out having burgers with Patrick, but he was very helpful to her in the scenario.
The two went to the same acting school and have been together for many years.
