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Character Profiles > Isabelle Hoyland Natalie Bassingthwaighte

Isabelle 'Izzy' Hoyland 2003-2006, 2007, 2018, 2022
Lived: 22, 32 Ramsay Street, Karl's apartment
Born: 1977/'78 (later altered to 1976)
Marital Status: Clint [surname unknown] (2017; deceased)
Parent: Robert [Bobby] and Rosie Hoyland
Siblings: Max
Children: Holly
Family Tree: Hoyland
Occupation: Part-owner and manager of The Coffee Shop, Partner in The Scarlet Bar, Lassiter's Business Affairs Manager

After their father walked out and their mother, Rosie, left to find herself, Izzy and her older brother Max found themselves being sent to boarding school. This led both siblings to have a difficulty forming close bonds with people, but Izzy, particularly, grew into someone who could barely hold down a job or a relationship. Using her glamorous looks to get her way in most situations, she had a variety of jobs, ranging from managing a llama farm to a recording studio to a café. None of it lasted long, and her brief liaisons with men were even shorter.

Deciding to spend some time with her family, she headed south from Queensland to Erinsborough, turning up unexpectedly at Lou’s pub one day. After being mistaken by Lou and Stuart for an ex-girlfriend of Max’s, the man himself arrived and was thrilled to see his little sister. But when he took her home, there were a few awkward moments, as Izzy had no idea who Steph, Max’s younger girlfriend, was and it became obvious that Izzy didn’t approve. Unknown to the family, Steph had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, but Izzy picked up on the tension and started turning Summer against her dad’s girlfriend. When Steph suddenly moved out, Izzy found the perfect opportunity to make Summer believe that Steph was simply selfish and didn’t really love her or her father.

Other people in Erinsborough weren’t safe from Izzy’s manipulation either. When Harold mentioned in passing that he’d like to be able to take a break from the Coffee Shop and try fostering kids, Izzy saw the perfect opportunity. She suggested that she become manager and invest some money in the business so Harold would have some capital for his fostering idea. Though Harold was reluctant, she managed to convince him that her idea would be perfect for all of them, then she spoke to Max about a loan. However, when it came down to it, Izzy couldn’t get enough money together to buy the twenty percent share that Harold was willing to part with, so Izzy turned her charms to Lou. She got him to speak to Harold about how perfect she’d be for business and Harold, trusting the word of his oldest friend, agreed.

Working in the Coffee Shop meant that Izzy came into contact with all of the residents of Ramsay Street at one stage or another. She immediately formed a bond with Karl Kennedy, convincing him one day to skip a medical seminar and spend the day with her, making chocolate. Karl’s wife, Susan, was less keen on the new arrival, seeing her as a dangerous flirt. When Susan left her purse in the shop by accident and Izzy later found it, the school principal was quick to make accusations infront of a crowded Coffee Shop, leaving many of her friends stunned. Izzy quickly played up to it, pretending to be shocked and upset by Susan’s words. When Susan found out that Karl had lied to her about his day with Izzy, she had further ammunition. It became clear that Izzy enjoyed playing games with people, as she managed to gain support from both Lou and Harold, who spoke to Susan about her cruelty towards the new girl in town.

Meanwhile, Izzy was on the look-out for someone she could really have some fun with. After approaching a guy in the Coffee Shop, Izzy was humiliated when he told her she was too old. So when Izzy spotted Jack in the pub later that day, she approached him and told him she’d booked herself a room at Lassiter’s. Still unhappy after breaking up with Nina, Jack went up there later that evening. Thus began a series of meetings between the pair for nothing more than uncomplicated sex. But after a near-miss at number 32, Sky Mangel, another person who disliked Izzy, became suspicious. When she overheard Izzy on the phone to Jack, calling him by his nickname, Dr.Love, she quickly jumped to the wrong conclusion, assuming Izzy was having an affair with Karl.

When a mysterious note appeared under the Kennedy door, resulting in Susan and Karl confronting Izzy, the lady herself had a good idea where the gossip came from. Although she was upset with Sky for doing it, Izzy was secretly quite pleased to be causing so much chaos in the neighbourhood. As Jack attempted to spend more time with Izzy, she made it clear to him that she wasn’t looking for a teenage romance, leaving him feeling more than a little put out. Meanwhile, on the home front, Izzy was having to contend with Max and Steph being back together, after he learnt the truth about her cancer. Izzy found it even more difficult to be around Steph when this news came out, but realised that she would have to make some sort of effort if she wanted to be a part of the household. Her first effort went badly when she offered to give Steph a makeover and brought up the taboo subject of her bald spots. Izzy then organised a high tea for all the family, but when Steph collapsed, nobody showed up, leaving Izzy feeling more isolated than ever. As relations between the women hit an all-time low, they finally had a chat, acknowledging their differences and agreeing that maybe they should find a way to get along...

When Jack suggested a weekend away, Izzy tried to palm him off, saying she wanted no relationship with him. However, as she began to feel like a stranger in her own home, she went and saw Jack and apologised. The couple went to the country for a few days, where they coincidentally ended up in a cabin next to the Kennedys. When Izzy spotted Karl in the pub, she agreed to keep his secret drinking to herself. Meanwhile, Karl saw Jack Scully, and agreed that he wouldn’t tell anyone what Izzy had been up to. Izzy and Steph spent a little more time together, dressing up and going to clubs. But when the subject of money – namely the cash Izzy had borrowed from her brother – came up, things were strained once again. Steph tried to make an effort, setting up Izzy with Aaron, the new mechanic at the garage. But after one lunch date, Izzy realised that Aaron was gay and so they’d never be more than friends. Beginning to feel slightly despondant with life, she went back to see Karl. The pair began having long chats, feeling like they had nobody else to confide in.

Izzy spent Christmas with the Hoylands and Scullys, but needed to escape and so sat out on the front lawn, having a drink. While there, she witnessed Susan getting into a taxi to spend Christmas with her family, leaving Karl behind. Izzy popped over to give him some leftovers, but the following day, at Lou and Trixie’s wedding reception, Izzy took Karl to one side. She asked him if she was to blame for his marital problems, but he insisted that she wasn’t. However, as the weeks went on, Karl and Izzy began to really on each other more and more for refuge from the gossips on Ramsay Street. Ironically, this simply fuelled the gossips more and more, to the point where Lyn warned Izzy to keep her hands off Karl, after she witnessed them arrive home together in a taxi one night.

When Mal Kennedy arrives home to visit Karl, things only got worse. Mal was immediately suspicious when Izzy burst into the house one afternoon, unaware that Karl had company. When he then followed Karl and Izzy to a bar, he decided to confront this woman, who was apparently wrecking his parents’ marriage. While Izzy was incredulous and Karl defended his friend, Mal was still not satisfied and announced that he’d be putting number 32 up for auction. Although he had originally intended to give the Hoylands first refusal, he changed his mind when he saw that Izzy was living there. Only days later, Lyn decided that she’d had enough of Izzy, especially as the Kennedys were now on the verge of divorce. She confronted her in the street, in front of many of the neighbours. However, Izzy wasn’t about to be belittled in front of everyone and accused Lyn of being nothing more than a lonely old stickybeak. Out with Karl for a drink the following evening, she was surprised to see that Susan had followed them to the bar. Without letting Karl know, she went and told Susan to go home and stop embarrassing herself. The following day, it seemed that everyone was out to get Izzy, with gossip rife about the Kennedy marriage and her part in its break-up. Izzy was therefore very surprised to find Susan on her doorstep asking how she could save her relationship with Karl. Izzy explained to her that there was nothing she could do, as Karl wanted to break free of his marriage and his current life. Soon after, Izzy was none too surprised to be witness to Karl packing his things in his car and driving out of Ramsay Street…

When Max’s old workmate, Gus Cleary, descended on Ramsay Street, Izzy was immediately attracted to him. They went out on a few dates, and shared a few nights in the pub, where Gus was staying. However, she began to get slightly uncomfortable when Gus started cooking dinner for the family and paying a lot of attention to the kids. The couple had a falling out as they were unable to cope with each other’s unpredictable mood swings. Meanwhile, Izzy’s friendship with Karl continued to blossom and she ended up going back to his new flat with him and staying the night, though he took the sofa. Gus later apologised and Izzy agreed to start seeing him again, but Karl was not impressed, and told Izzy that she could do a lot better. Izzy was later humiliated when, in the middle of Max and Steph’s engagement party, Gus and Karl had a falling out in front of everyone in the pub, with Karl’s feelings towards Ms Hoyland suddenly becoming very clear.

When several people, including her ex, Jack, started mocking Izzy about her behaviour with men, and the fact that she would never settle down, she decided to prove them all wrong and agreed to move in with Gus. The couple started looking for a place together, but it seemed like, deep down, Izzy hadn’t changed at all. In the space of a few days, she cruelly mocked Sky over her new look, then falsely accused Toadie’s cousin, Scott, of stealing from the Coffee Shop. Unfortunately, the one person who was around to defend Scott was Susan Kennedy, so, when Scott was proved innocent, the humiliation for Izzy was magnified.

Karl’s efforts to prove to Izzy that Gus wasn’t to be trusted finally came to fruition when he found an article on the internet, which showed that Gus had suffered from mental problems in the past. Izzy wondered why Gus hadn’t mentioned this to any of them, and the couple grew apart, with Max eventually throwing Gus out after a fight with Boyd. However, Gus had his own key, and he entered the house, hiding in the loft. Meanwhile, Izzy had yet another falling out with Sky. With Izzy claiming to be only 26 years old, Sky was determined to prove this as a lie, and went through Izzy’s bag, finding her ID which showed her to be 30. When Sky announced this to the Coffee Shop, Izzy sacked her. Harold was forced to mediate between the two girls and made Sky apologise before allowing her to return to work.

However, these trivial matters were soon forgotten when Izzy made a shocking discovery. Having felt ill for a few days, she decided to do a home pregnancy test, and was horrified when the result was positive, realising that the father had to be Gus. Meanwhile, Gus watched her and found the test in the garbage, before vanishing again. Izzy visited a doctor, who confirmed the diagnosis and explained to Izzy that with her medical history, she was lucky to have ever fallen pregnant at all. This forced Izzy to think about keeping the baby. Her relationship with Karl was also changing. With Gus apparently gone, Karl attempted to make a move on Izzy, but she bluntly told him that he was simply too old for her. However, following the discovery of her pregnancy, Izzy realised that he may be her only hope for stability. Her plotting began as she went to see Karl and told him that she’d been too scared to admit it, but she had fallen for him. Karl was delighted and the couple spent the night together.

Meanwhile, Gus was still on the loose, and he spotted Izzy and confronted her about his baby. He took her to the Coffee Shop, where Karl spotted them and contacted the police. Gus was captured, but when Max visited him, he insisted on seeing Izzy. Izzy went to see him, and told him that although she was pregnant, the father of the baby was another man she’d been seeing. Gus believed this lie, and explained that he was being transferred to Perth the following day. With her web of lies growing more complex, Izzy realised that she needed to make sure her relationship with Karl was secure. The neighbours were already talking about the couple, and then Izzy presented Karl with the idea that she move in with him. He happily agreed to the idea, unaware of the drastic effect this girl would have on his life…

The next step of Izzy’s plan was to make Karl think that the baby she was carrying was his, so she conspired to make sure he diagnosed it. Complaining that she felt ill for days, Karl eventually fell straight into her trap when he presented the idea that she may be pregnant. Although a home test showed up as negative, Izzy’s plotting paid off when the test changed to positive after a few minutes. Karl immediately believed that the child was his and when Steph, Max and Summer came for dinner, she couldn’t keep it to herself and broke the news. Before long, Boyd had told Sky, who began to wind up her boss at the Coffee Shop, culminating in Izzy breaking down and announcing the news to everyone in the shop at the time, including Lyn. It was then a race against time to tell Susan, but Karl managed to get to her and reveal the news, causing the massive rift in the Kennedy family to deepen. Libby used her newspaper column to attack Izzy, while she herself struggled to cope with her guilt, first confessing her sins to Father Tom, then fleeing Erinsborough entirely.

After a few days of searching, Karl asked Max about any childhood places where Izzy may have gone. When Max mentioned somewhere they used to go as a family, Karl went there and checked into a hotel. He was shocked to find that Izzy was his waitress and he managed to convince her to return home. Back in Erinsborough, and further into the pregnancy, Izzy began to struggle to keep the truth a secret, as she was forced to go for her ultrasound alone, and then hide the scans and videotape from Karl. However, he found the tape in the trash and checked to see what was wrong with it, with Izzy only narrowly avoiding being found out when Max arrived. The next hurdle for her came when she and Karl bumped into Susan with Tom, who had just left the priesthood. Izzy realised that this was the man she had spoken to, and she contacted him to make sure he wouldn’t say anything to Susan or Karl. He agreed, on the basis that Izzy confessed everything to Karl herself, which she reluctantly agreed to. However, when she went to speak to Karl, she realised how much he loved her and how much she needed his support with the baby. She failed to go through with it, and later lied to Tom that Karl knew everything and was fine about it, but never wanted the subject raised again for the sake of the baby…

Things went back to normal for Karl and Izzy, as he grudgingly celebrated his 49th birthday, and Izzy planned an intimate meal for them. However, as Karl reflected on the terrible state of his finances after the past year, Izzy began to plot to make sure he got a decent settlement from the divorce, in order to secure her own financial future. She started leaving newspapers open on the real estate pages, with houses circled, but acted toward Karl like it really didn’t matter to her. This quickly paled in significance when Karl realised that Izzy was about due for her scan. Because the baby was actually a month older than Karl realised, Izzy had already been for her scan, so she plotted to make sure he would be otherwise engaged the next day. First, she checked his diary and told him she had an appointment during a time when she knew he was swamped with patients, then, just to be sure, she sabotaged his car. She then framed her previous scan to cover the real date, and set up a broken tape, to make it look like Karl’s VCR had chewed up the one of the scan.

Just as she managed to avoid one catastrophe, another arrived when Tom realised that Karl had no idea that he wasn’t the father of the child. He gave Izzy the ultimatum that if she didn’t tell Karl straight away, then he would. Luckily for Izzy, he couldn’t go through with it, and left town, but another local was about to cause her even bigger problems. When Karl's nephew, Darcy Tyler was given day release from prison and started working as an orderly at the hospital, he became suspicious of Izzy. Determined to make amends to Karl and Susan for robbing them in the past, he managed to sneak a look at Izzy’s files. He found out that she was several weeks further along than people thought, and that the father was listed as ‘unknown’. He confronted Izzy and gave her the chance to own up, but she offered him money to keep his mouth shut. He wasn’t about to lose his chance to make up for the past, but fate stepped in, and during the confrontation, Darcy slipped and fell down the stairwell at the back of the hospital. Izzy acted quickly, planting some jewellery, which she was taking to be cleaned, in Darcy’s pocket, then messing up the flat to look like a robbery. Everyone jumped to the obvious conclusions, and Darcy fell into a coma and was taken away to a hospital closer to his mother.

It seemed that Izzy’s problems were other, but the guilt over what had happened to Darcy began to gnaw away at her, and materialised in her dreams. She started to have nightmares where Karl found out the truth, and Darcy constantly popped up wherever she went. This led to sleepwalking, and Karl found Izzy on more than one occasion asleep in the road and on a median strip. He decided that she should receive some counselling to try to get to the bottom of the problem. Meanwhile, Susan and Karl’s divorce was moving along, and Izzy was becoming very unsettled as the former couple spent time together. When she saw them chatting in the Coffee Shop, she quickly faked some stomach pains to get some attention, and when they were receiving mediation, she listened in and burst in on the meeting. When things made it to the courts, Izzy was horrified when Libby made a impassioned speech and Karl and Susan went for a private chat in a conference room. Rumours quickly spread around Ramsay Street that more than chatting had gone on in the room, and Izzy’s jealousy soon bubbled to the surface. She accused Karl of sleeping with Susan, and they had a huge row. Just as Karl was about to storm out of the flat, Izzy doubled up in pain, crying out that something was seriously wrong.

When Karl insisted that they go straight to the hospital, Izzy was immediately concerned that he would find out the truth. She managed to convince Karl and Dr. Carter that she would prefer to have the check-up on her own, as he was making her panic even more. When the results revealed that both mother and baby were fine, Karl was relieved and insisted that Izzy go to see a psychiatrist to make sure she was in better health as the pregnancy continued. At first Izzy wasn’t keen, but when she visited Dr. Jeremy Levi, she found that it was an enormous relief to talk through her childhood and her immediate concerns. Dr. Levi told her that she had to let go of things in the past that she could no longer control, and concentrate on her future. Izzy suddenly found a new sense of wellbeing, and Karl was happy at first, until he spotted the man he believed to be Dr. Levi and became very jealous. Izzy was confused, as her doctor was older than Karl and balding, but then she saw Dr. Philip Smith, a paediatrician who shared Dr. Levi’s office. She joked with Karl that Jeremy had invited her out to dinner, and Karl stormed off to confront the man. Unfortunately, Izzy arrived to late to stop him embarrassing himself, but they soon laughed off the incident.

Karl decided to treat Izzy with a luxury gourmet cruise, which forced her to reveal her phobia of water, which stemmed from her mother putting her in the deep end of the pool as a child, and her almost drowning. She decided that she couldn’t go, so Karl changed the plans to a simple ride in a rowing boat. He finally managed to convince her to accompany him and they set out with a picnic. After a little while on the water, Izzy started to relax and Karl sprung a big surprise on her; an engagement ring. Izzy was thrilled, but in her excitement she tipped the boat and fell out. Karl managed to find her and get her to shore, where he revived her. At the hospital, Karl was once again relieved to hear that mother and baby had survived the incident unscathed. However, as they were leaving the hospital, standing at the top of the stairwell, Izzy suddenly started having flashbacks to Darcy’s fall. As she stepped back from Karl, she fell down the stairs. After an anxious wait, she and Karl were told that Izzy had miscarried. After a few days in hospital, Izzy returned home, claiming that she was feeling fine, but her sudden desire to go out partying made it clear to everyone that she was in denial. When Steph went out to help her one night, she found her kissing Jack in a club. Izzy broke down as Steph tried to comfort her and admitted that she wasn’t coping with her loss. Her emotions finally boiled over during a confrontation with Susan in the Coffee Shop, and Izzy even told her that she was welcome to take Karl back if she wanted him.

Having finally opened up, Izzy realised that being honest was the best way forward, so, when he returned after a few days with Billy in Queensland, she told him about the kiss with Jack. They agreed to try again and set a new date for their wedding. Izzy even found herself developing friendships with some of the women in the street, but as the wedding grew nearer, Izzy’s doubts resurfaced and she even admitted to Jack that she didn’t really love Karl. Things only got worse when it looked as though Darcy’s condition was changing, so Izzy went to the hospital and took her files, before destroying them. On the wedding day, Izzy got a nasty surprise when Gus made a sudden reappearance as she got ready. He told Izzy that she wasn’t good enough for Karl, before disappearing again, and his words had an effect, as Izzy did a runner from the venue. After almost colliding with Susan in the car, who also told her that she didn’t deserve Karl and that she should leave, Izzy decided to go back. She spoke to Karl about how she felt and they announced to the wedding party at the pub that they’d decided to give things another go.

That night, their wedding reception was disrupted by a fire, which destroyed the pub and Coffee Shop. Amongst the ashes, Gus’ body was found and it was discovered that he’d been murdered, with both Karl and Izzy as suspects. As she struggled to rebuild her life, Izzy decided to give something back to the community by writing a song about the recent tragedies. Unfortunately, Karl had to break the news to her that she had a terrible singing voice.

As plans for a new Coffee Shop got underway, Izzy realised that her ideas were wildly different from those of Harold. When Izzy's new-found friend, Carmella, pointed out that Max and Lou were having the same problem, Izzy decided to go into business with her brother instead. However, she soon realised that her plans were threatened by her lack of finances. When Paul Robinson then offered her a business loan, she was in two minds over whether to accept. Recently returned local Paul had caused chaos in her love life, making Karl extremely jealous, but Izzy decided that she had to accept the loan if she was ever going to make her dream come true. Karl was unhappy as Izzy and Paul started to spend all of their time together. Things seemed to settle down with Karl, as Paul’s flirtations with Izzy kicked into a higher gear. They nearly shared a kiss in the sauna at the gym, until her nephew Boyd interrupted them. When Karl then went away to Sydney to visit his father, Paul and Izzy finally gave in to their attraction and started an affair.

A few days later, Carmella called in at the flat to collect some shoes and a top, she realised she’d interrupted Izzy in bed with someone and thought it must be Karl, home from his trip. She spotted a tie on the bed and later saw Paul wearing that same tie, so she warned Izzy to be careful. Izzy continued her affair nonetheless, but was almost caught once again when Karl returned home early. She tried to prevent him from entering the bedroom, but was relieved to find Paul was hiding under the bed. As Karl went to have a shower, Izzy bundled Paul out of the door. Her next near miss came when Paul told her that his watch was missing. Although Izzy managed to retrieve it, Karl spotted her and she was forced to pass it off as a gift. Paul then left for a business trip to Sydney and convinced Izzy to fly up there for the night to join him. She reluctantly went and was shocked to find him in bed with Lee Thomas, who had recently been in Erinsborough luring Paul to work for her company, Affirmacon. Upon her return home, Izzy grew increasingly frustrated and ended up taking things out on Karl, who dared to joke about her and Paul. She stormed off and locked him out of the flat, so he spent the night on Susan’s couch. When Izzy found out about this, she went to Ramsay Street and made a huge scene, but Karl refused to listen.

The following morning, Izzy returned to Ramsay Street and had it out with Susan, who explained that Karl had come to the door of her room the previous night, but she had turned him down. Back at the flat, Izzy’s hystreonics continued, but Karl had had enough and told her that their relationship was over. Izzy found little sympathy amongst the few friends she had left and was forced to move back in at the Hoyland house. Another attempt to win back Karl failed when she lied that she was staying in a motel, but Karl revealed that he’d already spoken to Steph. Izzy was then in for a shock when she received a phone message from Karl, saying that he was having a heart attack and that he just wanted her to be happy. She took this as meaning that he wanted to give them another chance and so she rushed to the hospital. There, she ran into Susan, little realising that Karl had also phoned his ex-wife, telling her that he was still in love with her.

As Karl began to recover from his experience, Izzy attempted to heal the rift between them. But she also had another huge problem to deal with, when it emerged that Paul knew the truth about her baby, having watched a video confession she’d made for the Erinsborough time capsule. Izzy was determined that he wouldn’t have one up on her and she stared doing a little digging of her own. Finally fitting the pieces together, she realised that Paul had burnt down the pub and Coffee Shop, murdered Gus and was working with Affirmacon to destroy Ramsay Street. Having written down her findings, she sent them to her solicitor and urged him to open the envelope should anything ever happen to her. As the grand opening of Izzy’s new business, the Scarlet Bar, came around, she chose the occasion to confront Paul, who bought her silence by wiping out the loan she’d taken out with him. Confident that her secret was safe, Izzy returned to patching things up with Karl. After a night out at the bar, he invited her home one evening and, the next morning, asked her to move back in. Izzy was delighted and, shortly afterwards, she saw Karl off as he left to spend a month working with Medicins Sans Frontieres in Africa.

With plenty of time to herself, Izzy started spending more time at the Hoyland house, where she was surprised to find a letter from her and Max’s father, Bobby. Although Izzy was delighted to hear from him, Max didn’t want to know. Things only got worse when Bobby arrived in town a couple of days later. Although Izzy, or Bella as her dad called her, wanted Bobby around, Max believed that their dad would just disappear when the mood took him, and couldn’t be relied on. However, it looked like Bobby was determined to prove his son wrong, as he offered to help out in the bar and told Izzy that he planned to stay in Australia for the foreseeable future. When it started to look like Bobby was having second thoughts about staying, Izzy even offered him a loan so that he could set up his own small business in the area. When Karl’s lack of trust in Bobby also became clear, it caused huge problems in his relationship with Izzy and she confronted him over it. However, what she wasn’t expecting to hear was that her dad had been having an affair with her biggest enemy, Susan. After confronting both parties, Izzy’s trust in her dad was severely shaken, so when he suddenly walked out on a dinner party with her and Karl, claiming to be unwell, she decided to follow him. She tracked him down to 26 Ramsay Street and watched from the window as Susan, as well as Lyn Scully and Janelle Timmins, humiliated Bobby as revenge for three-timing them. A few days later, Bobby asked Izzy for a $3000 loan to help with some business. They both knew that the money was actually Bobby’s ticket out of Erinsborough, as he fled to an engineering job in Malawi.

Having realised what a rat her father really was, Izzy decided she had to move on with her life and was delighted when Karl suggested that they go on a trip to Europe together. However, she was in for a cruel shock when the past suddenly came back to haunt her as Darcy awoke from his coma. At first, it looked like he had no memory of the incident that had led to him being hospitalised and Izzy believed she was finally free of her nightmare. However, during one visit, Darcy told Izzy that he remembered everything and she would have to pay him $70,000 to keep quiet. Izzy immediately panicked, but managed to find him the money. She was shocked though when Darcy didn’t end things there, asking her for $200 a week for the rest of his life, plus sexual favours. Although she was happy to pay Darcy, she realised that this was a step too far and visited Paul, who was in hospital himself after losing a leg. The two had become confidantes after learning of each other’s secrets, so Izzy hoped Paul might be able to help her hire a hitman to get rid of Darcy. Paul gave her a number – but it was actually a local linen supplier – so she was back at square one. Further to this, Izzy was called as a witness at Darcy’s trial for the supposed robbery at the flat and he warned her that her testimony had better be in his favour. In the days leading up to the trial, Izzy tried to get out of it, but in the end she was forced to give him a glowing reference, which ultimately saw Darcy go free with just a 12-month good behaviour bond.

Although Izzy thought that her nightmare was then over, as Darcy left Erinsborough for good, she didn’t realise that he’d left a letter for Susan, explaining everything he knew about Izzy’s lies. However, it wasn’t long before Susan paid Izzy a visit at the bar and gave her 24 hours to tell Karl the truth. Desperate to avoid going home and facing her problems, Izzy spent the night in the park, leaving Karl frantic with worry. The next morning, a desperate Izzy visited Paul for some advice and he told her to play the victim and get sympathy. When she finally returned home, Izzy told Karl the truth – that he wasn’t the father of her baby – and a disgusted Karl threw her out. At the last minute, as she stood next to her car in tears, Izzy blurted out that Gus had forced himself on her, resulting in the baby. Karl reluctantly listened to what she had to say and Susan was shocked when she later called in on Karl to find Izzy there. That evening, Karl went to the bar and took his frustrations out on some customers, which resulted in Max asking him what was going on with Izzy. Max wasn’t quite as quick to believe her lies, however, and the next day, he confronted Izzy, who admitted that she’d made it all up as she was desperate to stay with Karl. Unfortunately, Karl overheard her confession and stormed out, with Izzy in pursuit. Outside, in front of half of Erinsborough, Karl told Izzy that their relationship was over and that she was the lowest form of life he’d ever known. After a few days of being a social outcast and following public threats from Karl and Paul, Izzy suddenly vanished from the area.

A few days later, Izzy’s car was found in remote bushland, with spatters of blood on the front seat, by a couple of joggers. As a police enquiry was opened, both Karl and Paul were questioned, and Paul realised that Izzy’s disappearance could prove dangerous for him, especially when her solicitor, Steve Chisholm, started blackmailing Paul over the contents of the envelope Izzy had given him. With the police on his tail, Paul set off to try and find Izzy and, just as he was giving up hope, he spotted a sign for the Scarlet Bird Retreat. He set off there, but was unable to get any information from the staff and was once again giving up when he heard Izzy’s unmistakably bad singing voice. Izzy was surprised to have been found and claimed that she’d accidentally cut her hand in the car and hadn’t meant for any of this trouble to happen. However, when Paul told her to phone the police and clear his name, she asked for a favour in return – for Paul to convince Karl to visit her. Paul managed this, though Izzy’s time with Karl did no good in repairing the relationship. Max and Steph also visited Izzy, and were horrified as she didn’t seem at all concerned about the problems that she’d brought to so many people. With hardly a friend in the world, Izzy was tempted when Paul offered her a place to live at number 22 with him. A few days later, she surprised the neighbours by pulling up in Ramsay Street in a limo and moving in with Paul. Already hated by those around them, Paul and Izzy decided that they might as well live up to their reputation by having noisy, late-night parties. Paul then appointed Izzy as Lassiter’s’ business affairs manager and the pair soon led the local business owners to believe that they were going to increase the rent. Having worked everyone up into a frenzy, they called a meeting and announced that rent prices would be staying the same.

Although Izzy was back in town, safe and well, Steve Chisholm's blackmail threats continued. Izzy decided that they would have to break into his house and steal back the incriminating documents. Although they were almost caught by Steve's cleaner, Paul and Izzy managed to escape with the contents of his safe, even finding some scandalous photographs which they used to counter Steve's threats with their own blackmail note. Meanwhile, as time went on, it became clear that Izzy wasn’t coping on her own with recent events – she’d secretly been taking anti-depressants and sleeping pills and was becoming more and more reliant on them. Although Paul rejected Izzy’s romantic advances in private, he was also jealous of her seeing other men and grew worried by her increasingly erratic behaviour, hiring Stuart Parker’s newly-arrived younger brother, Ned, to keep an eye on her. Izzy, too, started to worry about herself, particularly as Max and Steph tried to buy her out of the bar and Izzy, in a rage, knocked into a pregnant Steph. Although Steph was declared fit and well, the incident shook Izzy and her drug dependency only got worse.

When Izzy was arrested buying drugs from dodgy nurse Gareth Peters in the bar, Paul finally realised the extent of what was going on. He decided to do everything in his power to help her get over the problem quickly. Although she struggled to cope at first, Izzy was soon grateful to have Paul around and the pair soon decided to give a relationship a go. However, they weren’t alone for long, as Paul’s 19 year old daughter, Elle, arrived from Tasmania to get to know her dad. The battle lines were immediately drawn between the two women, with Elle desperate for her dad’s attention and prepared to go to any lengths to get Izzy out of the way. When Elle found out about Izzy’s drug problem, she took her pills from the bin and told Paul that she’d found them on a shelf. When this failed to get the desired results, she started using the pills to drug Izzy’s food and drinks. After a while, Izzy, unable to understand what was happening to her, collapsed and Elle realised that she’d gone too far. However, when a jealous Elle then overheard Izzy and Ned chatting in the bar office, she resumed drugging the food. In actual fact, Izzy was rejecting a lovelorn Ned, but she quickly realised that something was amiss. When she turned down a cup of coffee from Elle one morning, Paul went to drink it, but his daughter knocked into him before he could drink any. At dinner, Izzy swapped her plate with Elle’s and when Elle refused to eat it, she told Paul of her suspicions, which he immediately dismissed.

After finding some of the pills in Elle’s bag and realising that Paul would need to see evidence with his own eyes, Izzy set up a trap of her own. After convincing Elle to cook dinner that night, she then planted some of the pills in her meal. As they sat down, she complained that it tasted bitter and Paul had a taste for himself, quickly pulling out one of the pills with his chopsticks. In the argument that followed, Elle blurted out that she hadn’t put the pills there as she’d stopped drugging Izzy already. Although it looked like Paul was going to send Elle back to Tasmania, Izzy was disappointed when he decided to allow her to stay and for to try to be a proper, if dysfunctional, family.

Erinsborough was turned on its head a shortly afterwards when several residents boarded a joy flight to Tasmania, as part of Lassiter’s hotel’s 20th anniversary celebrations. Before they boarded, a bomb was placed on the plane and, during the flight, Izzy found a note placed in the pocket in front of her seat, telling her to think about her life and everything she’d done. As Izzy tried to work out where it had come from – immediately suspecting Elle and Paul, who denied it, the bomb exploded and the plane crashed into Bass Strait. As it went down, Izzy chose to phone Karl in her final moments and tell him that she still loved him, overheard by Paul. After being helped by Susan in the water, Izzy went and rescued Elle, who was struggling to stay afloat. All three women were eventually rescued and brought back to Erinsborough. Paul found it very difficult to cope with Izzy’s call to Karl and asked her to move out, though Elle convinced him to give her another chance. Karl, meanwhile, chose to turn the tables on Izzy and pretend that he wanted to get back together with her, cruelly letting her down just after they shared a kiss. As word got out that the plane crash had been due to a bomb, and not an accident, suspicion quickly pointed towards Paul, who had many enemies from his business deals and time in jail. Izzy tried to convince him that he might not have been the target and it seemed that her suspicions were correct, when she found another mysterious note, this time on her windshield, which read ‘You were lucky’.

As if the note wasn’t worrying enough, within hours, both Paul and Izzy were beginning to feel unwell and realised that, by touching it, they’d been poisoned. Once in hospital, Izzy came dangerously close to dying and Paul employed a security guard and installed cameras, fearful that he, Izzy and Elle would never be safe. However, the prime suspect, Paul’s old enemy Tony Corbett, was found dead a few weeks later, things started to calm down a little. Paul and Izzy even managed to enjoy a pleasant Christmas together, but disaster struck once again on Boxing Day. Izzy came down the stairs to find Paul lying unconscious on the floor, having been strangled. After a short time in hospital, he checked himself out, determined to find the person who had again threatened his life. Izzy’s suspicions quickly fell on neighbour Harold, whose behaviour had become strange since the plane crash and who had been popping into the house regularly since the attempt to murder Paul. However, when Izzy confronted Harold, who was in fact guilty of the crime, he broke down in tears and Izzy felt terrible, believing that she’d made a terrible mistake. Back at home, she became concerned by Paul’s behaviour as he struggled to leave the house and his paranoia reached new heights. As Ned, who Elle had started dating, moved in for extra security, Paul’s suspicions even turned on him and he threw him out. Desperate to help, Izzy turned to Karl for advice, but it looked like Paul would never rest until he found out who had tried to kill him.

With both Lou and Sky aware of what Harold had done, Lou hatched a plan to move the suspicion elsewhere. Since Harold was away in Tasmania, Lou, dressed all in black, threw a brick through Paul’s window. However, Harold returned to town a few days later and, unable to cope with his guilt, he confessed to Paul that he was the one who had attempted to strangle him. Paul was shocked, but opted not to call the police, while Izzy warned both Harold and Lou that she would make their lives hell for what they’d done. It wasn’t long before they were opening their own café at Lassiter’s, Lucinda’s, in order to drive the General Store out of business. As if that wasn’t enough to worry about, Paul had also turned on Ned, believing that he wasn’t good enough for Elle. She refused to accept her father’s attitude, however, and decided to leave, with Ned, to return to Tasmania. Realising that Paul needed his daughter around if he was ever to completely get over his agoraphobia, Izzy concocted a plan to keep her around and, on the day before they were due to leave, she professed her love for Ned and seduced him in the Scarlet Bar office. Since he’d had a crush on Izzy since he arrived in town, he was soon announcing that he couldn’t leave with Elle. The plan appeared to be working and, after convincing Elle to stick around by naming the new café after her and giving her the job of co-manager, Izzy thought she’d succeeded, until Ned turned up and told her that they had to be together.

Izzy was then forced to find a way to get Ned out of Erinsborough and managed to convince Paul that it would be good for Elle if her ex-boyfriend was out of the picture. Together they convinced a regular Lassiter’s guest, who happened to be a theatre director, to give Ned an audition in Sydney for one of his musicals. However, Ned wasn’t prepared to leave without Izzy, especially as he was under the mistaken belief that Paul was physically abusing her. In the end, Izzy told Paul that she was going away for the weekend to find them a holiday home up the coast, and set off with Ned to Sydney. She then attempted to be as rude and nasty as possible in order to put him off, but it failed, as he told her that she could drop the act now that she was away from Paul. It was then that Paul phoned her and explained that he was off to see the doctor as he’d been suffering from terrible headaches. Thinking on her feet, Izzy “burst into tears” and told Ned that she had to go home as Paul had been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Back in Erinsborough, Izzy assured Ned that Paul didn’t want his condition to be made public knowledge and told Ned to go to Sydney and not give up on his dream. For a few days, it looked, once again, like she’d managed to pull off her elaborate scheme – then it all blew up in her face. First, Ned came back to town, unable to live without Izzy and desperate to be with her. Then, she received an email from a mysterious person, blackmailing her with a copy of the security video from the bar office, showing her having sex with Ned. Izzy managed to stop Paul seeing it, and found out that it had come from one of the security guards hoping to make a little money on the side. Although he’d been caught, he managed to get a copy of the video to Lou, who was on the verge of being evicted from the General Store thanks to Paul’s scheming. Lou quickly confronted Izzy and told her to talk Paul out of putting them out of business, but although she tried, she failed. With Lou threatening to tell Paul, Izzy confided her secret in Max, who talked her into owning up to Paul. And so, hoping that he’d appreciate her honesty, Izzy broke news of her sordid little affair, and the reasons behind it, to a stunned Paul.

Although Paul was stunned, he came to realise that Izzy had slept with Ned for the right reasons and they tried to get their relationship back on track, despite Ned’s efforts to spoil it. They soon managed to move on when Paul’s son, Cameron, arrived in Erinsborough to get to know his father. What none of them realised was that the charming Cameron was actually his identical twin, Robert. Having put the real Cameron in a coma and then left to go travelling in England, Robert admitted to his unconscious brother that he’d been behind the plane bombing, before heading to Erinsborough to destroy Paul and everyone close to him. After successfully getting Dylan sacked from The General Store – which he and Elle had been running since Paul stole it from Lou and Harold – Robert moved his attention over to Izzy.

Since Steph had recently given birth to baby Charlie, Izzy was anxious to prove her worth and look after her nephew. After much pestering, Steph agreed to give her a chance and Robert saw his chance to pounce. He watched as Steph turned off the gas then, as she sat down with Charlie, he crept in and turned it back on. As Izzy dozed off from the fumes, Lyn called by and soon smelt the gas and managed to get in through the back door and rescue them. Although Max and Steph were furious, Izzy was confused as she distinctly remembered turning off the gas. Unfortunately for Robert, the events didn’t have the desired effect of getting her out of Paul’s life, as Izzy broke down and told Paul about her inability to have children and why she was so desperate to be a part of Charlie’s life. Soon after, Paul was about to become very rich by doing a deal with businessman Sean Dempster, when Robert showed what he was truly capable of and murdered Sean in his office. He then turned his attentions back to Izzy and started mentioning to Elle that he suspected Izzy was coming on to him, before flirting with her himself and plotting his next move. During several conversations with Izzy, Robert recorded what she was saying, before editing it together and making it sound like she was cracking on to him. He then sent the message to his phone, claiming it was from Izzy, and before long, Paul had found out and thrown his “cheating” girlfriend out of number 22.

A distressed Izzy knew that she must have been set up and set about proving it. After a few enquiries, she realised how easy it would have been for ‘Cam’ to set her up. After breaking into number 22, she managed to get her hands on his MP3 player and headed over to the Robinson house with her evidence. As Paul realised that something was very wrong, he remembered that ‘Cam’ had been working on Elle’s car that morning, before she went on a drive to a winery in the country. They phoned her and urgently told her to get out of the car, with Elle running to safety only moments before another bomb exploded. Robert, meanwhile, unaware that his plans had been rumbled, headed to the hospice to finish off his comatose twin, only to find the bed empty. Cameron had woken up and was waiting for his brother behind the door. After knocking Robert out, Cam took his brother’s clothes and headed to Ramsay Street, only to find himself arrested for his twin’s crimes. Robert, meanwhile, climbed into the bed. Although pleased to have been proven right, Izzy was annoyed when Paul’s ex-wife, and mother of the triplets, Gail, came to town to find one son in prison and the other in a coma. Izzy immediately felt threatened by Gail’s presence and set about calling her a bad mother and claiming that she was too old to interest Paul these days.

Events took another dramatic turn when Robert “awoke” from his coma and was allowed home, with everyone believing that Cameron was the truly evil twin and was safely behind bars. Having convinced everyone that he was reluctantly getting to know his father, he suggested a father and son camping trip and Paul happily agreed. The only person unable to trust Robert was Katya Kinski, the nurse who had been having a relationship with him, thinking he was Cameron. After successfully convincing Gail, Izzy and Elle, they headed to the national park and found the campsite, but no sign of Paul. As Robert arrived, he claimed to have been out chopping wood, but the girls were suspicious and Robert panicked and ran off into the bush. A full-scale search for both Paul and Robert began, with Paul eventually being found tied up in a mineshaft, but still no sign of his evil son. In order to get him out of hiding, Izzy jokingly suggested that Paul and Gail should get married again, knowing that Robert would hate it and try to stop it. Much to Izzy’s horror, they decided to go along with the idea, and, when Katya went missing, they knew that Robert was still somewhere nearby.

On the day of the wedding, Izzy was determined to be there, but, since Robert would most likely smell a rat if he saw Paul’s ex attending the event, she was forced to dress up as a gardener. The plan worked, however, and Robert appeared at the end of the ceremony brandishing a gun. Although he shot Paul, he was horrified to realise that his father had been wearing a bulletproof vest and, as he was carted off to prison, he warned them all that it wasn’t the end of the matter. A couple of weeks later, Cameron was released from prison, but Izzy’s hopes of them all getting back to being a happy family were dashed as it became clear that recent events had affected Paul very deeply. With Gail and Izzy fighting for his affections, he suddenly started pushing away anyone who cared for him, and arranged for both women to catch him at the hotel with a girl called Lilly DeRouge. Gail headed back to Tasmania, as Izzy tried to maintain a brave face, but Paul eventually told her he’d had enough of her and wanted her to move out.

Izzy moved in with the Hoylands once again, but, when Steph found out that Izzy had been the catalyst for Paul framing Lyn for patent infringement, she was once again left homeless. When Karl came into the bar one evening, exhausted from working to take his mind off problems with Susan, Izzy provided a shoulder for him to cry on and drove him home, realising he was in no fit state to do it himself. Back at the flat, she gave him some of the sleeping syrup that he was trying, a trial drug that had been given to him by another doctor, but, without realising, gave him too much. When Izzy went into the bedroom to say goodbye, Karl, in a confused state, mistook her for Susan and, with Izzy unaware of this, the pair ended up sleeping together. The next morning, Izzy was happy to have found happiness again so soon after Paul but, as she made breakfast, she overheard Karl on the phone to Susan, thanking her for the night before. She quickly realised what had happened and managed to get out of the flat without Karl knowing she was there, only leaving an earring behind. Karl, however, worked out that something wasn’t quite right and confronted Izzy, who lied that she had taken him home, but nothing else had happened between them.

Meanwhile, Izzy was alarmed to learn that Paul and Lyn’s work relationship had developed into something more. In an act of spite, Izzy blurted out to Lyn that Paul had been responsible for the murder of Gus Cleary, something which Paul denied when Lyn questioned him, but the seeds of doubt had been planted. Izzy soon had something else to worry about when, after one of Steph’s pranks went wrong, Izzy was hospitalised with concussion. Meanwhile, Susan found the earring and realised that Izzy had lied and she had been in Karl’s bed that night. Susan confronted her rival, who admitted that it was true, and she had lied in the hope that Karl’s life wouldn’t be ruined for a second time, insisting that Karl had actually wanted to be with Susan. A few days later, following some routine tests, it was found that Izzy was 3 to 4 weeks pregnant and Izzy, who had been told her chances of conceiving were extremely slim, was left stunned. Realising that it was a miracle, she set about changing her life and righting the wrongs from her three years in Erinsborough. The neighbours were immediately suspicious as Izzy started helping her good friend Sister Mary Catherine at the soup kitchen and offering to help Ned get his personal trainer business off the ground. When she turned to Toadie to get her legal affairs in order, and announced that she would be leaving Erinsborough for good, word soon spread around town that she was dying.

Having given her share in the bar to Steph and made plans to spend some time with her mother, Rosie, in Fiji, Izzy had one final favour to ask of Paul before she left. Realising that her secret was in danger of coming out, she asked Paul to tell anyone that asked that the baby was a result of a one-night-stand with a stranger. In return, he asked her to save his relationship with Lyn by telling her that she had lied about Gus’ murder. Izzy kept up her side of the bargain and, following a small gathering at the bar, to say her goodbyes, she boarded the bus that would take her out of Erinsborough for good. Back in Ramsay Street, Susan answered the phone at the Hoyland house, only to be told that Izzy’s first ultrasound would need to be rescheduled. Susan raced to the bus stop just in time to ask Izzy whether Karl was the father of her baby. Izzy told Susan that he wasn’t, and to speak to Paul if she didn’t believe her. Of course, Susan went straight to Paul who backed up Izzy’s story, then phoned the woman herself to say a final goodbye. As the bus drove off, Izzy then took out a photo of her with Karl and told the baby that it was just the two of them now. Although very few of them would miss her, it couldn’t be denied that Isabelle had made a huge impact on the lives of Erinsborough’s suburban cabbages.

After visiting Rosie, Izzy made her way to London where she met, and fell in love with, married Premiership footballer Pete Gartside. Unlike her previous relationships, Izzy was honest with Pete from the start, about her past and the circumstances leading to her pregnancy. Pete, meanwhile, was in an unhappy marriage with Alicia, who regularly had affairs but when the press learnt of his liaison, he was forced to end things. Wandering the streets, Izzy ended up sleeping on a park bench, with a newspaper covering her face and was alarmed when someone gave left some money by her, thinking she was homeless. It got worse as she realised that these weren't just any benevolent passers-by, but Karl and Susan, on the holiday of a lifetime in London. Not wanting their charity, Izzy phoned Pete and begged to meet him so they could discuss things. But she was in for a disappointment when he turned up and handed her a cheque, telling her that he couldn't leave Alicia, as she was already starting to play dirty. It was then that Izzy found herself turning to Susan, someone she never thought she'd have to ask a favour from. Although unsettled to see Izzy at first, Susan soon realised that her former enemy was genuine and desperately in love with Pete and agreed to help. Susan phoned Pete, pretending to be Izzy's mum, and set up a meeting. She then convinced Pete not to give up on his true love and a grateful Izzy thanked Karl and Susan and went on her way. But, having been introduced, Pete soon realised that Karl was the father of the baby, and convinced Izzy to tell her former lover the truth before he left London. The next day, as Karl and Susan set off on a cruise of the Thames, where they were remarried, Izzy turned up, planning to tell Karl the truth, only for her waters to break as she appeared towards the end of the ceremony. A reluctant Karl was forced to help with the birth, little realising that he was delivering his own child. But, as Karl and Susan said their goodbyes to Izzy, Pete and baby Holly, Susan realised that Izzy had left her bag behind and ran back to the ambulance, only to overhear Izzy mention the true paternity of Holly.

Over the years that followed, Karl and Susan developed a good relationship with Holly, regularly visiting her in London, whilst she also came to stay with them in Erinsborough on a couple of occasions. Though Susan and Izzy's relationship continued to be a frosty one, Karl always gave Izzy the benefit of the doubt. One Christmas, Karl heard that Izzy had dumped Holly on Mal and Catherine and gone off with a man she'd met. Karl and Susan went out to London to be with Holly, but upon their return things were awkward, as Susan felt that Izzy had gone too far, and she hadn't even bothered to show up when they were returning Holly.

As the tension between Karl and Susan continued to bubble away, she was horrified to learn that he'd given their retirement fund to the hospital, who were planning a new research wing, that Karl had hoped might be named after him and become his legacy. She stormed out of The Waterhole, where a 1990s-theme party was being held for Toadie, and went to the car, but in her rush to get away, she knocked down a woman dressed as Geri Halliwell - and was horrified to realise that she'd hit Izzy. At the hospital, it became clear that Izzy had returned to Erinsborough with some secrets, the first of which was revealed soon after when she told the Kennedys that, at Christmas, she'd married a very rich 89-year-old man named Clint, who'd died a day later. Izzy told them that she'd inherited £41 million and, quickly picking up on Karl's desperation over the new hospital wing, she announced that she'd just donated $20 million, but only if she could be given naming rights. Paul, as the previous highest donor, was furious as he'd planned to name the wing after his grandmother, Helen Daniels, whilst Susan was certain that Izzy was only doing it to weasel her way back into Karl's affections, even agreeing when her friend Dipi offered to eavesdrop on Karl and Izzy's 'business meeting' at Harold's Cafe. Relations only worsened between the three of them when Izzy confided in Karl that she was considering moving back to Erinsborough - Karl failed to tell Susan about this, and she only learnt about it when Izzy dropped it into the conversation. Taking her frustrations out on Karl, Susan admitted that she didn't trust Izzy at all, and always lost faith in Karl when Izzy was around - and that she resented being painted as the bad guy, stopping Karl from spending more time with Holly. During a tense dinner, Susan confronted Izzy about her tendency to keep secrets and drop bombshells, and Izzy explained that, whatever she did, she felt that Susan would judge her for it. Susan then agreed to make a bit more of an effort not to assume the worst, but Izzy had saved her biggest surprise for last, as she told a stunned Karl that she wanted to have another baby, and that she wanted him to be the father so it was a full sibling for Holly.

When Karl failed to tell Susan about Izzy's offer, and hesitated in giving Izzy a decision, it wasn't long before Susan decided to try and find out Izzy's true motives for coming back to Erinsborough. She went snooping in a red folder that she'd seen Izzy carrying around, and found some pregnancy leaflets, but was caught in the act and was horrified to find out what Izzy had asked Karl to do - and that Karl hadn't actually turned her down. Karl admitted that he was conflicted over the whole thing, as another child would give him more of a legacy, and he also feared that turning Izzy down would mean that she'd withdraw her investment in the new research wing at the hospital. However, as he realised that it was a ludicrous idea and turned Izzy down, she found a new way to get what she wanted, when she found out that Karl had donated sperm to a fertility study for the research wing. After being given a hospital tour by COO Clive Gibbons, Izzy managed to con one of the nurses into letting her back into the research area, claiming that she'd left her purse behind, then she stole Karl's sample and, back at her hotel room, used it in the hope of falling pregnant. However, when Holly found out what her mum had done, she agreed to keep quiet, but used the information to blackmail her mum into agreeing to donate the money to the hospital - having withdrawn the offer when Karl refused to give her another child.

It wasn't long before Karl found out that his sample was missing and, in the middle of a birthday party for Susan at The Waterhole, he confronted Izzy, who admitted that it was too late to change anything now, and they'd just have to let nature take its course. With the whole ordeal started to take its toll on Holly's behaviour, as well as Karl and Susan's marriage, they were all forced to wait a couple of weeks until Izzy could be tested. As the test came back negative, Izzy was in for another shock when Clint's daughter Rita arrived in Australia and employed Toadie to contest the will. She claimed that her father had been coerced into changing his will, and agreed to forget about the money that had already been spent, as long as Izzy returned the rest. Backed into a corner, Izzy was forced to sign away all of the money, but just as it was looking like she might finally have to try to settle down in the suburbs with her daughter, she shocked Karl by leaving Holly in his care and disappearing to the airport in a taxi, with only a letter to her daughter to explain her actions.

Four years later, Izzy remained in London, and had fixed her relationship with Holly, who was studying medicine. When Mal's marriage to Catherine came to an end, Holly had attempted to cheer up her half-brother, inviting him to spend time with her and her mum - which had an unexpected outcome when Mal and Izzy fell for each other. Six months into the relationship, they decided that the time had come to break the news to Mal's parents, and they headed to Australia. Though Mal had planned to break the news to Karl and Susan on his own, whilst Izzy kept a low profile in their hotel room, she - in true Izzy style - burst into the Kennedy house with a bottle of Champagne just before Mal had the chance to explain what was going on.

Karl and Susan were horrified by the news, immediately suspecting that Izzy was simply using Mal for her own gains. Both Mal and Izzy insisted that the relationship was genuine, with Izzy telling Karl that Mal had been speaking for a while about moving back to Australia, and that if he could manage to get Susan on side, she would make sure that Holly joined them too. The tension only increased when it looked like Izzy and Mal were going to buy 24 Ramsay Street, which had just gone on the market. Susan spoke to former Ramsay Street resident Paige, who was handling the sale of the house, and asked her to make sure that Izzy didn't buy it - but word soon got back to Izzy and Mal. As Susan's machinations were exposed, she played her final card - telling Mal that he would have to choose between her and Izzy. Unfortunately, this backfired spectacularly on Susan when Mal said that he was choosing Izzy.

Meanwhile, Izzy struck up an acquaintance with another recent returnee to Erinsborough, Shane Ramsay. Spotting Shane in the Lassiters car park whilst she was out for a run, Izzy found him attempting to choose between two cars he'd been taking for test drives. Izzy was intrigued to learn that Shane had recently become extremely wealthy after investing in cryptocurrency, and was in the process of buying the hotel. A spark soon developed between them as they continued to bump into each other, and Shane sent a gift of a toy car to her hotel room. When things finally boiled over and they kissed, it was witnessed by Kyle Canning, who quickly reported back to Karl and Susan. Shane had been upset to learn that Izzy was already seeing someone, and she, in turn, had gone to Mal and confessed everything, just before Karl and Susan turned up at the hotel to confront her.

Having looked through Harold's Ramsay Street History Book earlier that day, Izzy had come to a realisation, explaining to Susan that many of her actions - including the relationship with Mal and wanting Karl to father another baby for her - had just been excuses to return to Erinsborough to try and win the love and approval of the Kennedys. After Izzy wrote her own entry for the History Book - an apology to the Kennedys - Susan tracked her down and thanked her, but told her that, until she could learn to love herself, she'd never be truly happy. It seemed that there was little left for Izzy in Erinsborough, until she bumped into Shane again, and they ended up in bed together. Though he was no longer buying the hotel, after Paul and Terese got back together and cancelled the sale, it looked like Shane might just be the distraction Izzy needed as she moved on with her life, and she even made one last trip to Ramsay Street, as the neighbours held a party to celebrate the marriage of Toadie and Melanie.

Trivia Notes
• Izzy has an unexplained phobia of cats
• Before moving to Erinsborough, Izzy ran a llama farm. She also worked on the Gold Coast as a 'meter maid'; bikini-clad women employed by the tourist industry to put coins in people's parking meters to stop them getting fined
• Susan Kinski/Kennedy almost always refers to Izzy as 'Isabelle'
• Izzy is blood type B-