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Guest Character Profiles > Josh Taylor Liam Hemsworth

Josh Taylor 2007-2008

After a surfing accident left him a paraplegic, Josh Taylor and his family moved down from Brisbane to Melbourne, where he began attending regular physiotherapy sessions at the pool in Erinsborough. During one session, he met Bridget Parker, who had been left paralysed down one side of her body after being hit by a car. Bridget was started to feel down about the slow progress of her recovery, but Josh's flirting made her feel better, and she was surprised to see him helped out of the pool and into a wheelchair. When they started chatting later, Bridget explained that there was a good chance that she could completely regain the use of her left arm and leg, and Josh told her that he'd do anything to have the opportunity to walk again, and told Bridget she should stick with her therapy. As the pair grew closer, seeing each other during their therapy sessions, Josh was worried when Bridget stopped attending. When they met for a coffee, she explained that she was tired of making so little progress and had decided to give up, but Josh was disgusted by her attitude, explaining that he'd give anything for the chance to walk again, not matter how much time and effort it took. Realising that he was right, Bridget returned to her physio sessions and agreed to go on a date with Josh, feeling that he was a safer option, after things had ended badly with Declan Napier, who struggled to cope with her disability. At the end of their evening together, Bridget shared her first kiss with Josh, witnessed by Declan.

Desperate to forget about Declan and move on, Bridget was soon introducing Josh to her best friend Rachel Kinski and her family. Bridget's adoptive parents Steve and Miranda were both happy to meet Josh, though Steve made it clear that he thought Josh - at 17 to Bridget's 16 - was too old for his little girl, and made sure they weren't left alone in her bedroom with the door closed. Miranda confronted Steve, wondering if he was only uncomfortable because Josh was in a wheelchair, though Steve responded by asking if the wheelchair was perhaps the reason why Miranda was so comfortable with their daughter's new boyfriend. Didge and Josh's relationship, meanwhile, continued and he agreed to attend an illegal rave with her and a group of her friends. But the night ended in disaster when the roof of the warehouse collapsed, trapping dozens of people inside. Declan managed to push Josh to safety, just as a pillar crashed down, trapping him with Didge. Outside, Josh was one of the first survivors and was forced to explain to Declan and Didge's concerned families that he wasn't sure what had happened to them.

With Josh, Bridget and Declan safely rescued from the warehouse disaster, Didge was confused about her feelings, having almost kissed Declan whilst they were trapped together. She admitted to her mum that she was grateful to Declan for saving Josh, but wasn't sure where her true feelings were. However, when Steve then invited Josh over to dinner, Didge chatted to him and realised what a great guy he was and that she wanted to continue seeing him. Later that evening, Josh ran into Declan at the General Store and made it clear that, although he was grateful to Dec for saving his life, he wanted him to back off from Didge. Over the couple of weeks that followed, Josh started to realise that Didge really wasn't that interested in spending time with him. When she backed off from meeting up with him, explaining that her friend Rachel was missing and she needed to help with the search, Josh was annoyed to see Didge walk into the General Store with Declan. It was the final straw, and Josh confronted Didge, pointing out that she clearly wasn't that interested in him, and she should sort things out with Declan, as he was clearly the person she wanted to be with.

Six months later, Didge was invited to give a talk to teenagers with spinal injuries at the hospital, and was surprised to find she'd be giving it alongside Josh. By this point, Didge and Declan were very much a couple, but she was having some problems at home, so when her mum came by to watch the speech, then tried to get Didge to go for a coffee, she quickly said that she was going for a drink with Josh. He was surprised, but went along with it, and the pair were having a coffee at the General Store when Declan came in and was instantly jealous. Later, Didge decided to convince a worried Declan that she loved him, and only him, by getting a tattoo of his name. Didge agreed to meet with Josh, however - which he took as a sign that she was still interested in him - and as they had a coffee together, Declan spotted Josh putting his hand on Didge's and stormed over, demanding to know what was going on. Though Didge tried to explain, Declan was annoyed at all the secrecy, while Josh agreed to go on a date with her friend, Donna Freedman, only doing to score an invite to Declan's 18th birthday party and cause more trouble.

Though Donna was convinced that she was on the verge of a wonderful new relationship, she came crashing back down to earth the following week when Josh got embroiled in a bidding war over Didge during a slave auction to raise money for the local footy team. As the bids increased, Donna finally realised she was just being used and made her point by bidding $100 for Didge and winning the auction, leaving Josh on his own. A few days later, Donna ran into Josh at the General Store, and, as she was warning him off Didge, she accidentally let slip that Didge and Declan hadn't slept together yet. When he later saw Declan at the gym, Josh couldn't resist winding him up about it, causing Declan to lie that he had slept with Didge, something that Josh was quick to report back to her. Things got worse when Declan then lashed out at Josh, while Didge turned her back on Declan, though admitted that she knew Josh was just out to make trouble. When Josh challenged Declan to a game of wheelchair basketball - the winner given the chance to try his luch with Didge - Declan was ready to back out, until Josh called him a chicken. It soon became clear that Declan would never beat Josh, but the whole thing had been witnessed by Didge, who was unimpressed with the pair of them and stormed off. Later, she told Declan that she needed some time on her own, whilst asking Josh why he had to be so nasty, when he used to be such a good guy. He explained to her that he just got sick of always losing out, saying that Declan got the girl while he was just a nice guy in a wheelchair, to which Didge replied that it had nothing to do with the wheelchair - she just liked Declan more.

Trivia Notes
• Liam Hemsworth is the younger brother of Luke Hemsworth who played Nathan Tyson in 2001 and 2002, and John Carter in 2008, and Chris Hemsworth who played Jamie Kane in 2002

Biography by Steve

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