Chris Warner
Affectionately referred to by fans and the media as "Dr. Love", Chris made his first appearance in the show's first episode by having an affair with his aerobics instructor. This was an infamous and controversial scene. Portrayed as spoiled and from a wealthy family that inherited the hospital that was founded by his father, the character of Chris was characterised by his patronising and illicit manner; contrasted in a 1994 storyline where he became addicted to morphine. Known primarily for romance storyliness, Chris has been married five times and participated in over 20 romances as well as fathering six children. Chris was the first member of the Warner family to join the show and he was joined by half brother Guy Warner (Craig Parker). In later years, Chris became the patriarch of a family unit made up of his sons Harry (Reid Walker) and Phoenix (Geordie Holibar). Chris has been involved in several high profile and highly rated storylines; including a 1994 car crash, nearly getting murdered by his brother in law Dominic Thompson (Shane Cortese), losing his wife to his drug-addicted brother Guy, and ending up in jail after being framed for murder.
List of Shortland Street characters (2018)
Zoe Carlson, played by Holly Shervey, made her first screen appearance on 9 April 2018. She initially stayed with Vinnie and Nicole's place, but when she overstayed her welcome, the couple tried to get rid of her, but when Zoe left bad reviews, it turned out that she is the younger sister of Kate Nathan. She was mismatched by Dawn to be Curtis' love interest, but Dawn has no idea that Zoe is Curtis' step-aunt. She got the PA job after Leanne was recovering from a broken wrist and Sass Warner moving to Italy to take care of Hawks, despite her lack of experience. She has developed feelings for Chris Warner. On the day when she was supposed to be fired from the job, she emotionally blackmailed Chris by disclosing her false cancer claim. Before Chris almost saw through her lies, Zoe managed to re-cover her story by saying her cancer is Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which is a far more treatable form. Finn, however, is still warning his father to fire her regardless. After taking care of a terminal patient by reading to her, her guilt finally overwhelms her after she passes away. On 7 May, when she tried to show signs of her illness as she felt threatened by Chris hiring an accountant that can double as a PA, Damo forced Zoe to confess to Kate after Chris somewhat covered up for her. She managed to cover it up for an extra week because she was able to fundraise for extra funding. When Chris and Zoe finally announced their relationship, Zoe found out she was pregnant, when Chris had to rush to Shanghai as Zhilan, Chris' daughter-in-law, went into labour months early. Zoe and Kate also found out that Nicole Miller has been their half-sister all along when Neville Carlson, their father, found Leanne and tried to reconcile.
However, after Chris Warner returned, Jarryd returned and demanded money from her, which Zoe lied about him being abusive towards her, so she rescinded her resignation, Te Rongopai and Nicole saw through Leanne's attempt to get her job back, so Zoe was reassigned to work alongside her on the reception desk, while the role of PA was filled by a young man with MBA, but he left for better offers.