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Guest Character Profiles > Joan Langdon Catherine Lynch

Joan Langdon 1985
Lived: Langdon House
Marital Status: Geoff Langdon (Divorced)
Children: Rodney and Susan

Single mother to twins Rodney and Susan, who were approaching six-years-old, Joan Langdon was fairly happy with her life, even if it was a struggle at times. But, having coped on her own since her husband Geoff walked out, when the children were only little, she was also lonely. Most of her dating experiences ended badly, when they found out about the children, and this was also the case with Des Clarke, who Joan had met through a dating agency. Joan and Des had enjoyed a pleasant dinner together, but when she'd taken him back to her place and shown him her children asleep in the bedroom, he'd walked out on her. However, he later returned, apologising for his behaviour, and the pair quickly grew close. Des also got on well with the children, and with his own string of terrible relationships and broken engagements behind him, he was happy to take on a ready made family.

Things moved very quickly for Des and Joan, and despite the fears of his housemate Daphne, who wondered if Joan saw Des as her meal ticket to a better life, he asked Joan to move in. Joan turned him down, and in brutally honest fashion, explained that she wasn't in love with him - though she could see herself falling in love with him as time went on. Des accepted that, and listened as Joan explained that she would need a proper commitment from a man before she could consider living with him. Not one to give up, Des then went on to propose to her and, having made sure that he understood her feelings, Joan accepted. An engagement party was thrown, and it seemed that Joan was going to fit in well on Ramsay Street, but then Des's mother Eileen returned to his life. Daphne had contacted interfering Eileen, feeling that she deserved to know about her son's engagement, and Eileen pretended to be surprised when Des broke the news to her. She was thrilled, however, until she met Joan and realised that she was a divorcee with two young children. Eileen then did her best to stop the engagement, until Daphne made lonely Eileen realise that she was risking losing her son completely unless she accepted Joan and her children. Daphne's words struck a chord with Eileen, and she made the effort to get to know Joan, Rodney and Susan, starting to enjoy their company and revelling in planning the wedding.

With the wedding rapidly approaching, and plans afoot for the Langdons to move into Des's house, Joan was in for a huge shock when Geoff suddenly appeared on her doorstep. Geoff had come down from his farm in the country to try to make up for his mistakes of the past, having grown up and realised how stupid he'd been. Joan and Geoff had been a couple since they were young and, despite everything he'd put her through, Joan found it difficult to hate him, realising that she was still in love with him. Not wanting to put the children through any more upheaval, however, Joan told Geoff that he could only see them briefly, and he would have to say that he was their uncle. Geoff went along with this, but as he tried to spend more time with Joan and their children, and admitted that he still loved her, she angrily told him that she was just about to marry someone else and make a new life, and he wasn't allowed to destroy that too. Struggling with her feelings, Joan spoke to Des's neighbour Helen Daniels, who told her to think about what would be best for the children, mentioning that Des was resilient and would survive, whatever happened. When a desperate Geoff then turned up and took the children, whilst they were with a babysitter, Joan began to realise how important it was to him that he be a part of their lives. Just as he was about to leave, Joan called him back, and suggested that they give things another try, and all move to the country together. She then broke the news to Des, who had been busy planning their honeymoon, and was completely crushed. As Joan packed up her things and prepared to leave, Eileen went to see her, and quietly suggested that perhaps this was the best decision for everyone in the long-term.

Tenure
83, 84, 86, 87, 90, 93, 95, 97, 98, 99, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108

Biography by Steve

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