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Guest Character Profiles > Josie Lamb Madison Daniel

Josie [Lambshanks] Lamb 2013-2014
Parents: Victoria Lamb and Ellen Crabb
Occupation: Student at Erinsborough High

Quiet student Josie Lamb was often the victim of cruel taunts from the bullies at Erinsborough High, who would pick on her due to her intelligence, her appearance and the fact that she had two mums - but she rarely let any of it get to her. After anonymously playing the online game Dragon Prophecies with another student at the school, Callum Rebecchi, Josie finally decided to extend the arm of friendship in real life, and bought him an expansion pack for the game, giving it to him for his birthday. As he'd been struggling with his lack of a love life lately, Callum was convinced that Josie's gift was part of a prank by his friend Bailey, and he turned on Josie, telling her that he didn't want it. She was upset, but when Callum later realised his mistake, he finally got chatting to her and realised how much they had in common - and how much time they'd already been spending together in the online world. Callum then accepted her birthday gift, and a new friendship was born.

The following week, Josie and Callum agreed to attend a hospital fundraiser together - a photo exhibition at the local uni - but Callum was mortified when Josie called at his house, instead of meeting at the venue as arranged. Callum's parents, Toadie and Sonya, were delighted to meet Josie and were very taken by her as she chatted to them about her home life, so they invited her to stay for dinner. Later, at the exhibition, Callum bumped into his neighbour Imogen Willis, who was a year older and who Callum had been trying to get over, after developing a crush. As Imogen was again making it clear to Callum that she was only interested in being friends, Callum quickly grabbed hold of Josie and told Imogen that she was his girlfriend, so he was already taken and wasn't interested in anyone else. When they met for breakfast a couple of days later, Callum apologised for what he'd done, but Josie was fine with it, happy just to have been Callum's pretend girlfriend for the evening. Their meal was soon gatecrashed by Bailey, who told a shocked Callum that Toadie was one of the main suspects in a hit-and-run accident that had occurred the day before. Though this proved to cause yet more problems in Callum and Bailey's friendship, Josie made it clear to Callum that she'd be there to support him through this if he needed her.

A couple of weeks later, Callum and Josie were playing Dragon Prophecies when Sonya asked her if she'd like to stay for dinner. Josie said that she'd love to stay, but she'd have to go home and check first. When she returned later, she told Callum that she couldn't come for dinner, and that she wasn't allowed to come to his house again. Confused, Callum accused Bailey of again trying to sabotage things for him, but Bailey insisted that he had nothing to do with it, and Callum was left wondering why he'd suddenly lost his new friend. Soon after, Callum and Bailey were taking part in a neighbourhood treasure hunt, when they bumped into Josie, who, after chatting to Bailey, was left with the wrong impression that Callum really liked her and missed hanging out with her. After teaming up to solve the latest clue, Josie and Callum were at the radio station when she suddenly kissed him, and was then horrified to realise that he hadn't appreciated it. She soon ran off, and Callum was unhappy to find out what Bailey had been saying - so Bailey tried to help again, by persuading Josie to face her embarrassment and join him and the Rebecchis for a party at the bar that night. She went along, and managed to patch things up with Callum, who admitted that, although he didn't have feelings for her, he still loved spending time with Josie as friends. Their repaired friendship didn't last long, however, as Callum finally found out the real reason why she'd suddenly had to stop seeing him - one of her mums was Ellen Crabb, the detective in charge of the investigation into the hit-and-run, for which Toadie was still prime suspect. As Ellen came to arrest Toadie, she was furious to find Josie with the Rebecchi family, and told her to go home. As Josie left, Callum asked her if she'd only ever wanted to be his friend so she could find out information and spy for her mum - she insisted it wasn't true, but Callum was too upset to listen to any explanation, so she left.

A couple of weeks later, Josie called by the nursery, where Callum was working, to get some flowers for her mum's birthday. The friendship was quickly back on track, as Josie explained that her mum didn't mind her spending time with him now, as Toadie had been cleared of all charges. But as they started chatting about Dragon Prophecies, Imogen turned up to check what shifts she was working that week, and Josie found herself ignored, so put down her money and left. Later at Harold's, Josie asked Bailey about Imogen, and he explained that she wasn't a threat, as she definitely had no interest in anything more than friendship from Callum. However, as Josie looked over at the confident Imogen, then looked at her own reflection in the fridge door, her self-confidence hit a new low and she pushed away her food and left the store. After changing her hair to be more similar to Imogen's style, Josie continued to work on her friendship with Callum, even giving him advice about his problems with Bailey, pointing out that Callum had always been Bailey's sidekick but deserved more respect. Josie even volunteered to help Callum at the nursery, but was upset when Imogen turned up with a new hairstyle and immediately won Callum's attention. Deciding that she needed to do something more drastic, Josie joined the local gym, claiming that she just wanted to get fit, but actually desperate to lose weight and become more like Imogen.

Having seen Josie around the gym a lot, Sonya became concerned that she was pushing herself too hard. When Josie then suggested that she should come over and try to talk Callum into getting some exercise with them, Sonya was surprised when she turned up with a complete new image. As the day went on, Sonya noticed Josie's disappointment as Callum ignored her to play computer games with Bailey, and was even more worried when she spotted that Josie didn't eat any of her lunch, pushing it around her plate, then moving it onto Callum and Bailey's empty plates as she cleared the table. Sonya told Josie that she didn't need to change her appearance, and certainly not for a boy who was paying her no attention. Worried that the message hadn't got through, Sonya encouraged Callum to talk to Josie and make her see that he liked her just the way she was. Though Callum felt that the conversation had gone well, it seemed to have had little effect on Josie, who continued with her exercise regime, determined that, if she could become skinny enough, then Callum might finally notice her. Sonya's fears for Josie continued when she found her at the gym again, and she spoke to Susan, who agreed to put out a memo to the school staff, to keep an eye on her. However, the school's newest teacher, Gemma Reeves, couldn't be bothered to read it, and ended up destroying Josie's fragile self-confidence by humiliating her in front of the class.

A couple of weeks later, despite Sonya's best efforts to get Josie to slow down with the exercise, Josie was determined to take part in the annual fun run. However, she collapsed towards the end and was taken to hospital, where her shocked parents found out that she'd been diagnosed with malnutrition. They were very surprised to find out that she'd been taking part in the fun run, and she explained that she'd been skipping meals and training hard for weeks, as she just wanted to be skinny and attractive and not fat and ugly, which was how she'd come to see herself. Her mums made it clear that there was nothing wrong with the way she looked and that she should never have to change, and Ellen blamed Sonya for the situation, believing that she'd been pushing Josie. Josie told them that none of this had anything to do with Sonya, and that she just wanted to be pretty and popular like Imogen. Hearing this made Callum realise that maybe he'd been treating Josie badly, and he decided to ask her to the school dance, in the hope that it would make her feel better. She, however, turned him down, and Callum was surprised to find that he was actually quite upset by her rejection. Callum then tried again to persuade her to come to the dance, but Josie refused to change her mind, until she had a chat with Imogen, who revealed that she had bulimia. The girls bonded over their similar situations, and Josie decided to go to the dance and face up to her problems, with Imogen realising that she had to take her own advice and do the same thing. But when Josie arrived at the dance, she was devastated to see Callum dancing with Imogen. Completely misreading their friendship, Josie ran off in tears and ended up taking shelter at the police station, after falling and cutting her knee at Lassiter's. After realising that Josie had briefly been at the dance, Callum went looking for her, finally finding her at the station where he made it clear that he liked her as more than a friend, and they shared their first kiss, before Callum left for a three-week school exchange to China the next day.

By the time Callum returned from China, Josie was on holiday at Kangaroo Island with her parents, so the new couple had to endure another few days apart. However, they were quick to make up for lost time when Josie arrived at the Rebecchi house for baby Nell's first birthday party - as the rest of the guests were outside in the back garden, Callum and Josie spent the afternoon alone in the house, kissing on the couch. But it wasn't long before Callum and Josie had their first big argument - working together at Sonya's nursery one day, they were watching Sonya setting up her new juice bar with her friend Jacob. Josie commented that Jacob was hot, and that there seemed to be an attraction between him and Sonya. Callum immediately got annoyed and called her comment stupid - she then told him to take it back and he refused, so Josie stopped speaking to him. Callum's attempts to win her back failed miserably, and when he found the gift he'd left for her, some swap cards, ripped up in the bin, he realised that he might have lost her for good. However, some advice from Sonya made him decide to think about things differently, and he shocked Josie when he bought her a puppy, which she named Loki. Unfortunately, Josie found that she was allergic to dogs - which was the reason why her mums had always refused to get one for her - so she had to give Loki back, but it seemed that the grand gesture might have put Callum and Josie's relationship back on track.

Valentine's Day arrived the following week, and Josie gave Callum a picture of them, as their Dragon Prophecies avatars, in a heart-shaped frame. Callum hastily grabbed a box of chocolates for her, unable to tell her about the real surprise he had planned. Callum then spent the day selling engraved padlocks to people, encouraged them to lock them on the walkway over Lassiter's Lake, and throw the key in the water to signify their unbreakable love for someone. Already a little underwhelmed by the chocolates, Josie was further upset when she walked into Harold's Store and Callum quickly tried to get rid of her before she stumbled upon his surprise, and so he lied to her that he was having lunch with his mum. By the end of the day, Callum had sold almost all of the padlocks and he took Josie to the lake, where she was amazed that he'd gone to so much trouble for her. He handed her the final padlock - she threw the key into the lake, and they kissed.

A couple of weeks later, and Bailey was dating Josie Mackay (aka 'hot Josie') and he and Callum had the idea to take their girlfriends on a double date. With the two Josies so different from each other, they hoped that they might be able to make them bond a little, and then they could all hang out, with each couple taking it in turns to use Bailey's bedroom for make-out sessions. The four of them met up at the Turner house, and after the girls dismissed the idea of spending the afternoon in the pool, they all ended up playing a dance game on the Wii, and the girls found that they were having a great time in each other's company. Unfortunately, when the boys started to get over-competitive, the Josies got sick of being ignored and walked out, with the boys failing to even notice that they'd gone until their game had finished. The two Josies then struck up a friendship, annoying their boyfriends as they chatted on Facebook, but eventually decided to ask Callum and Bailey if they wanted to hang out again. Things were soon back on track for Callum and Josie as they took part in the Ramsay Street Easter egg hunt together, and leaving Bailey feeling awkward, as his own relationship with the other Josie wasn't going quite as well.

Callum and Josie's relationship then also encountered problems when he created an app called Super Cool Chick. The game proved popular, and Josie assumed that the main character had been modelled on her, until people started pointing out that it sounded, and looked, more like Imogen. Josie was upset, believing that he still had feelings for Imogen, and said that she was ready to tell him that she loved him, until all this happened. Callum tried to make her see that he'd been working on the game for ages, and that he'd recently used it as therapy after being held hostage by Stephen Montague. He then told Josie that he loved her too, but she was unconvinced by his explanations, and told him that she didn't believe him. The following week, Josie was still waiting for an apology from Callum as he attended the joint 18th birthday party for Imogen, Josh and Amber at The Waterhole, hoping that he would come and find her and sort things out. Still confused about what she wanted from him, Callum finally spoke to her the next day, and he realised that it was now going to take more than just an apology to win her back. Looking to Toadie and his knowledge of romantic comedies, Callum made a grand gesture, holding up signs for Josie to read as she sat in Harold's Store, telling her that he loved her and that he needed her in his life. Josie was won over, and they kissed and made up, before she dropped another bombshell - she'd decided that she wanted them to sleep together.

After accidentally finding a condom in Callum's bag, Sonya started to worry that her son was growing up too quickly, and even after she and Toadie found out that Callum and Josie were approaching the decision with a lot of maturity, Sonya was still uncomfortable with the idea. After hearing that Josie and Callum were going to be alone at her house one evening, Sonya lied that she needed a babysitter for Nell, forcing the young couple to change their plans, knowing that having to keep an eye on the baby would kill any romance. Sonya's scheming worked, as, after having to change Nell's nappy, Josie decided to cut the evening short and go home. Callum was furious when he found out what his mum had done, pointing out that he and Josie were being open and honest, and she was the one behaving like a child to get her own way. The next day, Josie and Callum tried to find another chance to be alone and, as many of the students gathered at the school for a working bee, they considered using the empty school as the location for their first time. However, they quickly realised that they didn't feel comfortable with the idea, and opted to wait until the time was right, rather than rush into something just for the sake of it.

Josie then found herself caught up in Bailey and the other Josie's relationship, when they hit some hurdles and ultimately broke up. As Josie became concerned for Bailey, with rumours going around that he'd been drinking, and had been challenged to a fight by Josie Mackay's ex, Jayden, she was soon given something else to think about when Callum revealed that Susan had entered Super Cool Chick into a nationwide contest, and he was one of the seven finalists who had the chance of winning an internship with app designers. After hearing rumours at school that Callum had come second in the contest, and had been given a year-long internship in Silicon Valley, she confronted him, and he explained that it was true, but he wouldn't be going as his mum hadn't allowed it. However, after patching things up, following some problems with Bailey, and listening to what he and Josie said about following his dreams and not living with regrets, Callum managed to persuade Sonya to let him go to America. The following week, Josie was struggling with the thought of saying goodbye to Callum and being apart for a year, and so, as he prepared for his farewell party, she told him that she was ending their relationship. Although he understood her reasons, Callum made her a counter offer - that they stay together for just one more day, so that she could spend the night and see him off the next day. Josie agreed and, following the party, she stayed the night in his room, though Callum admitted to Toadie that nothing had happened between them, and joined the Rebecchi family as they took Callum to the airport.

Josie continued to be a presence at the Rebecchi house following Callum's departure, but Toadie was struggling to admit just how much he was missing his son and realised that he didn't like her being there, as he was sure that whenever she walked into the room, Callum would be close behind. As Josie continued working at the nursery and filling in some of Callum's shifts, Toadie finally snapped at her and told her to go home, and then opened up to Sonya about how he was beginning to realise why she'd found it so difficult to let Callum go. Josie also continued to be friends with Bailey, and he asked her to help him to recruit her hockey team as members for his astronomy society at school, as he went head to head with another student, Alice. Both were hoping to be president of the society, as it would look good on their applications for space camp. Unfortunately, Josie was unaware of the rivalry and so when Alice gave her the forms, which included a proxy meaning that the whole hockey team had voted Alice as president, she was unaware of the damage she'd just done to Bailey's cause.

Trivia Notes
• Madison Daniel previously appeared in 2012 as Claudia Howard
• Click here to read our 2013 interview with Madison Daniel

Tenure
6706, 6712, 6715, 6722, 6731, 6732, 6740, 6744, 6755, 6756, 6767, 6768, 6776, 6795, 6799, 6812, 6820, 6834, 6852, 6865, 6874, 6880, 6884, 6885, 6890, 6899, 6904, 6910, 6933