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Reference > Erinsborough News > Nun's The Word

Carmella’s back – and she has a brand-new habit!

If you’ve been wondering what Carmella Cammeniti has been up to since leaving Ramsay Street in January, then get ready for a big shock. The former bad girl returns to our screens this week, but her sassy wardrobe isn’t quite what it used to be – as Carmella’s now sporting a conservative nun’s habit! And it seems that she has genuinely decided to devote herself to God…

“A lot has happened in Carmella’s life since viewers last saw her on screen,” explains Natalie Blair, who reprises the role she has played on and off since 2003. “She’s decided to become a nun because she wants penance for all the cruel things she’s done in the past. In particular, she feels awful about the way she treated her ex-boyfriend Connor O’Neill, on what she believes was the last time she’ll ever see him.”

Since Carmella thinks that Connor died in the Erinsborough plane crash earlier this year, you can imagine her surprise when he turns up at her new address.

“Carmella has gone missing, so her mum, Lucia, hires Connor to try to track her down,” reveals Natalie. “His search leads him to the convent where Carmella is now living. She thinks she’s seeing a ghost, but Connor explains that he survived the tragedy, though his girlfriend at the time, Serena Bishop, perished.”

Considering Carmella went to great lengths in her attempts to ruin Connor and Serena’s relationship, the news weighs down her conscience even further. “Carmella feels terrible about how she acted towards the pair of them,” shares Natalie. “She was very manipulative back then, but tells Connor that she’s a changed person now. Viewers also get a hint that something else has happened in her life recently, which steered her down this path. It won’t be revealed for quite some time, but I can tell you that it’s very shocking…”

When Connor learns that Carmella has yet to take her final vows to become ‘Sister Mary Catherine’, he begs her to return home in order to consider whether she’s certain that she wants to join the religious order. “Connor suggests that she should go home for a week to spend time with her family, just so she can be sure that being a nun is right for her,” says Natalie. “Carmella is really torn. On the one hand, she’s committed to her vocation, but on the other, she’s a little curious to find out whether a spark still exists between her and Connor.”

Given that Natalie has signed a long-term contract with the soap, it’s safe to assume that her alter ego does indeed return to Erinsborough. However, we’ll have to wait and see whether Carmella goes through with her vow of commitment to God…

“Personally, I love the idea of Carmella being a nun,” grins Natalie. “For once, it’s an opportunity to do a storyline that’s not focused on being a beautiful, sexy person. It’s a genuine acting challenge – a huge stretch. I’m not a saintly nun in real life, but the way Carmella is behaving now – as opposed to how she used to act – is more similar to the way I am, thank goodness!”

This article originally appeared in Inside Soap magazine, dated August 11th 2006 and was written by Jason Herbison

Article submitted by Steve