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Last updated 12-07-2003, 09:03 | Sep 09th 2010, 12:25 BST |
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Character Quote: |
"Mandy, they could send me back on a plane to Australia at any moment!" |
Ray's stay in the UK has been overshadowed by one key fact that has been haunting him ever since he arrived. He is a deserter from the Australian Army and every day he lived his life in fear that Immigration were on their way to jail him. This escalated when Patrick failed to renew his visa which meant that Ray had to leave the country, but the way to stay was to engage in marriage and if its legitimate and lasts a year, then he can stay full-time.
Bearing this in mind, he asked Joanne for her hand in marriage and she agreed. Until she found out why he wanted a quick marriage and pulled out. Then when pouring his heart out to Mandy, she came up with the idea that Ray marries her which will, allow him to stay in the country. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
Literally from the moment Ray and Mandy were married, the writing was on the wall that this marriage was not going to work. Mandy was loving every moment of it and deliberately showed affection to Ray in front of his ex-girlfriend Joanne just to wind her up.
Ray was then stuck in the classic love triangle - he so desperately wanted to be with Joanne but he was married in law to Mandy who had a simple blackmail trick (pick up the phone, call Directory Enquiries and ask for Immigration. Worked every time). He did not love Mandy, in fact he couldn't bear to be in the same room as her.
Joanne had spent six months trying to get Ray out of Mandy's clutches and when she died in March 2002, Jo wasted no time in chasing him. Sensibly, he refused pouting claims of insensitivity. Three weeks of this was enough and Joanne left the country to stay with her brother. She later returned with a new boyfriend just as Ray left to visit his parents in Australia.
Needless to say, when Ray learned that his love was at the airport thanks to a breach of trust between Mark and Kate, it was too late. Joanne had left on her flight and Kate refused to tell him where she had gone. Poor Ray was devastated at losing the love of his life to another country and firmly believed that he could have stopped her from going.
In other areas of his life, Ray is a gambling man and he once gambled his engagement ring on a game of poker. He lost and Joanne was furious at the stupidity of such a move.
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