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Character Profiles > Libby Kennedy Kym Valentine, Michala Banas

Elizabeth 'Libby' Grace Kennedy (née Kennedy, prev. Kennedy-Fitzgerald) 1994-2004, 2007-2011, 2014
Lives: 28 Ramsay Street
Lived: 22, 30, 32 Ramsay Street, Libby and Drew's flat, Libby and Darren's house
Born: 1978
Parents: Karl and Susan Kennedy
Marital Status: Drew Kirk (2001-2002; died), Daniel Fitzgerald (2009-2010; divorced)

Siblings
: Malcolm, Billy and Holly
Children: Ben
Family Tree: Kennedy
Occupation: Student, Newsagency Assistant, Lou's Place Barmaid, Journalist, Grease Monkeys Waitress, New Voice Editor/Publisher, Carpenter's Mechanics Owner, Teacher at Erinsborough High School

The only daughter of Karl and Susan Kennedy, Elizabeth Grace Kennedy was always wise beyond her years as a child, and by the time she reached adolescence, Libby was an intelligent, worldly wise young girl. Politically aware, Libby aligned herself with her grandfather's Communist beliefs, much to the dislike of Karl, and the closeness Libby shared with Grandpa Tom, often caused contention for Karl since he had always had a difficult relationship with his father.

Libby was appalled when her father suddenly announced in 1994 that he had bought a new house for the family in the suburban town of Erinsborough, and the family were moving out of the country. Neither Libby nor her brothers, Malcolm and Billy, were impressed with the idea of moving to the city and resented Karl for making the plans without even consulting them.

However, it didn't take Libby long to settle into Erinsborough. She made a friend in studious Brett Stark on her first day in Ramsay Street, and the pair became soul mates. Although he valued Libby as a trusted friend, Brett also harboured feelings for her, but was scared to act upon them. Instead, he and Libby became embroiled in an elaborate scam to get Stonie Rebecchi elected school captain.

After Mal barged into her bedroom one afternoon to borrow her walkman, Libby demanded some new house rules be brought into effect to protect her privacy. Susan told the boys they were to stay out of Libby's room unless she asked them in. But Billy was determined to get his own back on Libby for teasing him about his recent crush on Leanne 'Packo' Packington and so, sneaked into her room to get Libby's personal journal, in which she was writing a steamy novel. That evening at dinner, Billy embarrassed Libby by reading out passages from her journal, and landed her in trouble with Karl and Susan who were shocked at the steamy content of the writings. Libby's embarrassment was extended to the schoolyard when Mal brought the journal to school and read some of the steamy extracts to the other students. Libby called a family meeting where she demanded a lock be put on her door in the wake of the recent invasions of her privacy, but her request was turned down by Karl and Susan, who felt the punishment they had dished out to the boys for their behaviour was enough. Libby remained furious with Mal, however, and when Billy took some photographs of Mal flexing his muscles in the mirror, Libby had the film developed and put the pictures on display in the Coffee Shop and around the neighbourhood. The embarrassment Mal suffered as a result ended the privacy dispute once and for all - much to the delight of Karl and Susan.

A part-time job at Philip Martin's newsagents in the Lassiter's Shopping Arcade was working out very well for Libby until her life was put in danger when she was held up by a robber one afternoon. Libby was forced to empty the cash register by the robber, but he refused to believe her when she told him there was hardly any money because Philip had just left beforehand to lodge the takings at the bank. As the robber became more aggressive and accused her of lying, Libby saved herself by using what she had learned at self defence class, and held him down until Philip got back from the bank and called the police. The incident left Karl convinced that the job was too dangerous for Libby to continue with, and he insisted she didn't work there again. Libby and Susan both opposed Karl's plan, and after pointing out to him that no matter where you are in life there's always a possibility of danger, Karl relented and agreed to let her continue working at the newsagents. Ultimately, Libby was to quit the newsagents anyway after landing a part-time cadetship at the Erinsborough News - her first step in her quest to become a journalist.

When university graduate Luke Handley moved in next door to the Kennedys, Libby instantly got a crush on him. And Luke began to develop feelings for Libby, too, when he offered his services as a model to her in a photo-essay she was doing on the human body. When Karl came across some shots of what he thought were of Luke's bum, he suspected Libby of being involved with him and confronted her. But Libby explained to Karl that the shots in question where actually of Luke bending his arms, and Karl was forced to apologise to Libby for suspecting her of getting sexually involved with Luke. But unbeknown to Karl, Libby and Luke were becoming more and more attracted to each other, and they finally kissed. Libby was delighted by the development, and confessed to Brett that she was mad about Luke. She even told Susan and Karl about her feelings for Luke, in the hope that being honest would make them trust her. But Karl grounded Libby, and forbid her from seeing Luke. Luke, meanwhile, told Karl and Susan that he was as uncomfortable with the age difference as they were, and he insisted that he was only trying to let Libby down gently. Susan hatched a plan with Luke whereby he would shower Libby with love and attention in an attempt to make her lose interest in him. But the plan backfired when Libby realised her parents were only suddenly being so nice to Luke in order to put her off him. And Libby was gutted when Luke revealed to her that he had been involved in Karl and Susan's plan too, and he finally told her they could only ever be friends. Libby had a hard time dealing with Luke's admission, and refused to speak to him. But after she received a letter in the post from Luke in which he explained how badly he felt about the way things had worked out between them, and how deeply he cared for her, Libby accepted that he never meant to hurt her, and agreed to maintain their friendship.

Libby impressed her bosses at the Erinsborough News when she began writing articles under the pseudonym Biddy Tuncliffe about the dramas her neighbours in Ramsay Street were currently going through - such as the relationship between Lucy Robinson and trainee priest Mark Gottlieb, and the romantic complications of Annalise Hartman. Brett warned Libby about the dangers involved in writing about the problems of people she knew, but Libby ignored his advice. It was only when Libby wrote a piece clearly based on Brett's (non-existent) love life that she learnt a lesson in journalistic integrity. Brett accused Libby of betraying their friendship and even though Libby insisted that she hadn't set out to portray him as the loser he appeared to be in the article, Brett refused to forgive her and became even angrier when he was teased at school over the story. Libby also had to incur the wrath of Annalise when Brett told her that it had been Libby who wrote the piece about her weeks before. Libby sought comfort from Susan as she tried to cope with the hurt she had caused her friends and neighbours, and she made one last attempt at healing the rift with Brett. Luckily for Libby, Brett had begun to receive tons of faxes and letters from girls interested in the loser in love that had appeared in the paper, and he gladly agreed to forgive her.

Libby found romance over the internet after meeting surfer Sonny Hammond in a chat room and meeting him in the flesh a few weeks later. They started dating, but Libby was forced to evaluate her feelings about sex when Sonny began to put pressure on her to take their relationship further. Libby confided in Angie Rebecchi about her predicament, who enabled Libby to see that she just wasn't ready to lose her virginity yet, and shouldn't until she was absolutely sure she had found the right guy. However, Sonny piled the pressure on, booking a room for him and Libby at a guesthouse in Minerva for the weekend. Libby told Sonny she wasn't ready to go that far with him, and he accepted her decision. But the next day at the beach, Sonny started to get heavy with her when they found themselves alone in a secluded spot. Libby ended up fleeing the beach in panic, leaving Sonny feeling confused and uncomfortable with the situation. When Sonny showed up at the Kennedy house that night to find out what was wrong with Libby, he found her in the back yard in a subdued mood. Sonny persuaded a reluctant Libby to get into his van with him to talk about what had happened at the beach, but once they were inside, it became apparent that Libby didn't want to discuss the incident at all. But Sonny kept pushing and pushing and when Billy came out onto Ramsay Street, he noticed movement inside Sonny's van. After hearing Libby shouting, he ran over to see what was going on. Sonny was furious when Billy began banging on the windows of the van, and declaring that they couldn't get a moment alone to talk, Sonny drove off and brought Libby to his place. Billy alerted Karl and Susan to the situation, prompting Karl to hurriedly drive over to Sonny's. But just as Libby and Sonny were reaching an understanding about where each of them stood on the physical aspect of their relationship, Karl arrived and grabbed Sonny out of the van to defend his daughter. Sonny protested that there was nothing going on, and Libby tried to calm Karl down and assure him she was safe. But Karl refused to accept that Sonny had acted in a responsible manner, and drove Libby home. Libby was disgusted with Karl for dragging her away and interfering in her relationship and gave her father the cold shoulder over his actions. However, Libby showed that she was still nervous about bodily contact after Brett sneaked up behind her as a joke in the garden, and she was startled, turning around and lashing out at him, before breaking down in his arms and apologising.

As a result of the incident with Brett, Libby confessed all her fears and doubts about sex to Susan, and she revealed that she thought there was something wrong with her for not wanting to have sex. But Susan assured her that she would know when the time was right and it obviously wasn't yet and obviously not with the right person. Libby felt a lot better after her talk with Susan, but was still faced with the prospect of dealing with the pressure from Sonny. Even though Sonny agreed to ease off, Libby needed time to evaluate whether she wanted to pursue the relationship or not, and she and Sonny took a break from each other. Libby eventually agreed to give things another go and was excited when Sonny brought her to a fancy restaurant for Valentine's night. But she was shocked when Sonny announced over the dinner that he actually didn't want to see Libby anymore because he was so insecure about how far he could go with her. A heartbroken Libby found a shoulder to cry on in the form of Brett, and Libby returned the favour for Brett a few weeks later after he split up with Judy Bergman, the older woman he had been seeing. Both Libby and Brett's relationship failures had largely been due to the fact that neither of them where ready for sex with their respective partners, and the duo managed to overcome their insecurities about losing their virginity once and for all by having sex with each other. Although they felt slightly awkward and uncomfortable the following morning, both Libby and Brett agreed that it had been the right thing to do, and it helped both of them move on with their lives. The incident confirmed the deep friendship Libby and Brett shared, and when Brett left to travel overseas soon after, he left his beloved pet gala, Dahl, in Libby's care.

More problems occurred for Libby when a case of crossed wires led the Kennedy family to believe that Libby was pregnant. The misunderstanding began when Karl and Susan noticed Libby had been looking in the women's health section of the telephone directory, while Danni Stark suspected Libby was pregnant after Billy mentioned that she was 'due' soon. Danni had failed to realise that Billy meant Libby had been due home soon, and she wasted no time in spreading word of Libby's 'pregnancy' around the neighbourhood. When Mal and Danni offered Libby their full support, Libby mistook them to be referring to her attending the women's health clinic, and she was furious with them for being so nosey and interfering. Unbeknown to Libby, everyone thought she was up to a lot more than visiting the health clinic, and when Karl called a family meeting, Libby was totally stunned when she realised that her 'pregnancy' was on the agenda. Furious at them for prying into her personal business and angry that they would think she'd be careless enough to get pregnant, Libby put Karl and Susan out of their misery by revealing that she had actually been down to the women's clinic simply to discuss safe sex as part of her process of coming to terms with her growing sexuality, and then angrily requested they all stay out of her sex life in future.

When Libby interviewed Rupert Sprod, the hunky captain of the school football team, as part of a video she was making about the school team, she was quickly smitten with him. Libby had previously never given Rupert a second thought, thinking of him as simply a jock and ladies man, but started to see him in a new light, after they realised they both shared an interest in photography. Libby was most impressed with Rupert when he confided in her about his dream of becoming a television sports presenter, proving to Libby that there was more depth to Rupert than she had thought. And Libby was thrilled when Rupert asked her to go to the school dance with him. The couple started dating, and enjoyed a blissful start to their relationship until school bitch Rachelle intervened and started trying to break Libby and Rupert up. Libby ignored Rachelle's early attempts to ruin their relationship by telling Libby that Rupert was messing about with loads of the girls from school. But Rachelle finally succeeded in causing trouble for the couple when she kissed Rupert at a party to celebrate the footy team's victory in the finals. Libby would never have known about the kiss if it wasn't for the fact that Toadie Rebecchi had taken photos of the party, and had snapped Rupert and Rachelle just as they were kissing. Libby was devastated when, despite Toadie's attempts at stopping her, she looked at the photos from the party and saw the shot of Rupert kissing Rachelle. Libby confronted Rupert about the photographs, and Rupert insisted that it was a one off thing and would never happen again. Libby accepted Rupert's explanation, but she was adamant that their relationship was over. Rupert pleaded with Libby to give him a second chance, and enlisted Toadie's help in talking Libby around. But just as Libby was starting to think about getting back with Rupert, Hannah Martin told her she had overheard Rupert blackmailing Toadie into working on changing Libby's mind, and Libby was furious. She decided to get her revenge on Rupert during the class to show the footy video she had been working on, and did so by editing in the Rupert/Rachelle photos with a commentary about how untrustworthy some footy players were. Although embarrassed by the stunt, Rupert still longed to get back together with Libby and again pleaded desperately with her to forgive him for what had happened. But Libby could never trust Rupert again, and resolved to put the relationship in the past.

If her relationship with Rupert had caused Libby problems, it was nothing compared to the tumultuous times that followed as she embarked on her most serious relationship with bad boy turned good Darren Stark. The older brother of Brett, Darren had spent two years in prison for taking part in an armed robbery, and was the last person Karl wanted to see Libby become involved with. But Libby saw something special in Darren - he was a young man who was desperately trying to get back on the straight and narrow, and the rough edge about him made him even more appealing to Libby. However, Karl found him totally unsuitable for his daughter. Not only was Darren an ex-con, but he also hadn't finished school, and had come into Libby's life in the final months of Year 12, a time which Karl felt Libby shouldn't have time for a boyfriend. Karl's overbearing interference in their relationship took its toll on Libby and Darren, and they decided to secretly move out. They found a small flat to live in, and only Mal knew the location of it. Libby found it tough going, however, because her HSC was fast approaching, and studying in the noisy and cramped building proved extremely difficult. After being away from home long enough to demonstrate to Karl how serious they were about each other, Libby and Darren finally decided to move back to their families, and Karl gave the couple his blessing. Tragedy struck that same day, however, when Darren's mother, Cheryl, was knocked down and killed. Darren dealt with his mother's death very badly, and was slow to respond to Libby's support. He even became jealous of the bond between Libby and Brett, who had returned for the funeral. Eventually, Darren realised that he was being stupid for suspecting Libby and Brett of impropriety, and he apologised for the way he had been treating Libby.

Libby was thrilled when after successfully completing her HSC, she started studying journalism at university. However, heartache was just around the corner when Darren cheated on Libby by having a brief affair with Mal's girlfriend, Catherine O'Brien. The betrayal by both their partners upset Libby and Mal greatly, and even when Darren proposed to Libby to prove his commitment to her, she couldn't trust him enough to put the affair with Catherine behind her. To take her mind off her failed relationship, Libby threw herself into a new part-time job helping out around the house of a young blind man, Rohan Kendrick. Libby found Rohan very disagreeable at first, but she soon got to the bottom of his behaviour when she discovered he had low confidence in himself as a result of his blindness. But Rohan proved himself by saving Libby's life one afternoon when they were walking in the bush, and Libby slipped off a rocky ledge. Rohan successfully went for help by himself, and saved Libby's life. Libby and Rohan began seeing each other after the ordeal, but Rohan realised that Libby wasn't yet over Darren, and ended the relationship.

Just as Libby was rediscovering her feelings for Darren, she discovered he was leaving Erinsborough for Byron Bay. But Susan persuaded Libby to chase after Darren and tell him how she felt, prompting Libby to race down to the bus station to stop Darren from going. Although she was too late, Libby followed the bus until its first stop, where she then stunned Darren by confessing she was still in love with him and didn't want him to go. Darren was thrilled by Libby's confession, and opted to stay in Erinsborough after all. However, Darren cheated on Libby a second time when he kissed single mother Shannon Jones at the university ball. Libby was initially impressed with Darren's honesty when he came to her straight away and owned up to what he had done. But after a picture of the kiss appeared in the Erinsborough News, Libby realised that Darren had only told her about the kiss because he knew she would find out from the newspaper. Disgusted and betrayed by Darren, Libby ended the relationship. Darren left Erinsborough soon after, but spent one final evening with Libby when the two met at a motel as they both set out on their journeys (Libby was making her way to Grandpa Tom's farm). After they spent the night reminiscing about their relationship and looking forward to their futures, Libby and Darren parted as friends, finally bringing closure to their relationship.

Mechanic Drew Kirk moved to Erinsborough from the country just as Darren was leaving town, and he immediately fell in love with Libby. Libby, however, only saw Drew as a good friend, and despite the fact that they spent all their time together, she never saw him in any other light. Drew was a well mannered, polite country boy, who was very old fashioned, and wanted to do everything the right way, so it was totally against his nature to make a move on Libby if she showed no signs of interest. Instead, Drew was content to sit watching the stars with Libby at night, and admire her from afar.

Libby was devastated when she discovered that Karl had had an affair with his receptionist, Sarah Beaumont, and she rejected her father in disgust. Karl desperately tried to make things up to Libby, but it took her a long time to forgive him for betraying the family. Libby was also furious with Sarah after the affair was exposed, particularly since Sarah had confided in Libby about seeing a married man. A deep rift existed between the two girls from that point onwards, and was never fully healed. The nearest Libby ever came to forgiving Sarah was when she was forced to interview Sarah and her fiance Dr. Peter Hannay for the Erinsborough News. Libby had to interview the couple about the aid work Peter was involved with, and the couple's plans to work in that field in Holland. But just before the interview started, Sarah suggested she and Libby clear the air once and for all and get everything off their chests. Libby agreed, and after getting things out into the open, Libby managed to put her anger towards Sarah behind her at last.

Libby remained oblivious to Drew's love for her, and devastated him when she started dating her uni lecturer, Mike Healy. Libby's relationship with Mike also upset Karl and Susan, who were uncomfortable with the age gap between the couple. Mike was also recently separated from his wife, Victoria, and had a young daughter, Sasha. But Libby ignored her family and friends' concerns, and kept seeing Mike, and she was thrilled when Mike moved into Ramsay Street, renting No. 32. However, Libby was cheated on yet again when Mike started seeing Victoria again behind Libby's back. It was Drew who initially broke the news to Libby, having spotted Mike and Victoria kissing one afternoon, and Libby refused to believe Drew. Libby's reaction hurt Drew so much that he made plans to leave Erinsborough, feeling there was nothing for him to stick around for anymore. But when Sasha told Libby that her mum was pregnant, Libby confronted Mike about the revelation, and he admitted that he had been sleeping with Victoria again, and the baby was his. On top of the anger she felt over Mike's betrayal, Libby was also furious with herself for the way she had treated Drew. Luckily, Libby managed to apologise to Drew before he left town, and she was thrilled when he agreed to stay.

Soon after, Drew brought Libby to visit his family in his hometown of Oakey, in Queensland. Libby was immediately welcomed into the Kirk family by Drew's parents, Ron and Rose. Indeed, Libby impressed the whole of Oakey during her stay, and when she and Drew attended the local dance, they were inundated with compliments about what a lovely couple they made. On their return journey to Erinsborough, Libby and Drew discovered that Drew's kid brother, Dougal, had hid in the boot of the car in the hope of getting to the city with them. They decided to stop at a cabin for the night to get some sleep, but because Dougal was now with them, Libby and Drew were left sharing a room. To avoid any awkwardness, however, Drew insisted on sleeping in a chair and Libby took the bed.

When Drew started seeing Shannon Jones, Libby couldn't hide her discomfort with the situation, and eventually told Drew about Shannon and Darren. However, Drew realised that the real reason Libby was so uncomfortable with him seeing Shannon was because she was jealous, and he decided to confess his love for Libby at last. However, Libby backed off straight away, not wanting to lose her friendship with Drew. Hoping to get over Libby's rejection, Drew started seeing Geri Hallett, Libby's arch rival from uni. Seeing Drew and Geri together made Libby finally realise that she was in love with Drew and she decided to go to London to stay with Mal for a few months in the hope of putting Drew out of her mind. But just before she left, Drew told her he didn't want her to go, and admitted that he didn't feel nearly as strongly for Geri as he did for Libby. Libby was thrilled, and at long last, she finally started seeing Drew.

The strength of their commitment to each other was tested, however, when Libby decided she wanted to take a year out from uni to travel overseas. Drew was dead against the idea, and told Libby he had no interest in travelling. Libby, on the other hand, was determined to see the world, and arranged for Karl to give her a loan to buy airline tickets to Africa. But Drew was determined to keep Libby in Erinsborough, and decided to propose to her. He popped the question as the whole of Ramsay Street was seeing in the new year at the Millennium street party, but before Libby could answer, the Scully house went on fire with little Louise Carpenter trapped inside. Drew raced inside to save Lolly, and luckily, got out with only minor burns. While Drew recuperated in hospital, Libby decided that she couldn't marry him, but before she could break the news to him, Ron and Rose arrived down from Oakey and assumed Libby had accepted the proposal. The Kirks even organised a special lunch at Lou's Place to get to know the rest of the Kennedy family, but Libby eventually told Drew that she wasn't ready for marriage and turned his proposal down. Drew took the news quite well, vowing to wait until Libby was ready, and he was thrilled when Libby cancelled her travel plans in order to stay in Erinsborough with him.

Arch-enemy Geri stirred up trouble for Libby when she began spreading rumours around about Drew having an affair with new arrival, Stephanie Scully. Libby and Stephanie had become good friends when Steph moved into Ramsay Street, and even though Geri had accurately recognised Steph's attraction towards Drew, she was way off the mark implying that Drew was interested in Stephanie. Anyone could see that Drew was totally devoted to Libby, and Libby proved how secure she was in her relationship by not taking any heed of Geri. Geri, meanwhile, pressed on with her attempts at hindering Drew and Libby's romance by reporting Libby's rejection of Drew's marriage proposal in her gossip column in the Erinsborough News. But Libby got her revenge on Geri by exposing Geri's practice of accepting bribes from local businesses in return for free plugs on her Uni FM radio show.

When Drew's Auntie Minnie visited Erinsborough, she was determined to meet Libby and vet her out as a prospective member of the Kirk clan. But Libby had already made plans to go clubbing with Steph and Tess Bell on the night Minnie was in town, and she was forced to cancel her plans in order to have dinner with Drew and Minnie. But once the dinner got underway, Libby realised that she had made the right decision, because Drew had fast become the most important person in her life. Minnie was to prove an important person in the road to the altar for Libby and Drew, because when she organised for the couple to get a special photograph done for her, Drew proposed to Libby a second time in the middle of the photographer's studio. And this time, Libby felt the time was right and said 'yes'.

As the engagement got underway, Libby was introduced to a Kirk family tradition when Minnie sent the Kirk family quilt down to her, and requested that Libby add a patch of her own to the quilt. Libby and Susan desperately tried to decide on a panel for the quilt, and encountered further pressure when Rose and Drew's Aunt Janet visited to see how it was coming along. Libby had accidentally spilt water over the quilt earlier that day, and had hung it out to dry. But just as Rose and Janet were arriving, Libby went out the back to take in the quilt only to discover it was gone. Libby began a frantic search for the quilt while Susan kept Rose and Janet busy, and she finally found it in the Scullys' backyard being torn apart by their Rotweiler, T-Rex. However, Janet and Rose comforted Libby when they discovered the truth by revealing that the quilt had encountered many spillages and tears over the years, and they tucked in to help her repair the damage.

Meanwhile, the level of interference in the wedding plans Libby and Drew were getting from their relatives and friends prompted the couple to think about eloping. Their idea was given a further push when other problems arose, including Grandpa Tom's refusal to attend the wedding if they married in church and Drew's Aunt Shirley refusing to stay in a hotel. And after the band Libby had wanted to play at the reception broke up, they finally agreed to elope. But Libby and Drew began to reconsider their plans after realising just how much effort the rest of the family was putting into the wedding. Just as they were about to change their plans, however, Susan was furious to take a call from a hotel in Fiji confirming Libby's wedding package. Susan was devastated at the thought of her only daughter marrying without her family around her, but a compromise was reached whereby Drew and Libby would marry in Erinsborough in return for less suffocation from the relatives.

Tragedy struck only weeks before the big day when Libby and Stephanie were involved in a horrific motorbike accident on the way home from a weekend camping trip where Libby has asked Steph to be her bridesmaid. While Steph escaped the accident with minor injuries, Libby was unconscious for days, and when she finally came round, the doctors told her family that she would have very little chance of ever carrying a baby to full term as a result of her injuries. When Karl and Susan broke the news to Libby, she was devastated, but put on a brave face. However, Libby stunned Drew by breaking off their engagement as a result of the news, thinking that he would never want to marry her if she couldn't give him any children. Despite her family and friends urging her to reconsider her decision, Libby refused to even see Drew when she came out of hospital and she broke his heart when she got Steph to give the engagement ring back to him.

As the months passed, Libby grew more and more distant from Drew. After she returned from a stay at Grandpa Tom's farm, Drew's hopes of a reconciliation were raised when Libby asked him to come over and see her. But he faced more upset when Libby told him all she wanted from him was friendship. A date with Geoff, a colleague from the Erinsborough News, got off to a bad start when they went for drinks in the pub before dinner, and bumped into Drew. Libby quickly suggested that she and Geoff go straight over to the restaurant, but once they got outside, Libby realised she had made a terrible mistake and apologised to Geoff for agreeing to the date, before going home. Once home, Libby admitted to Susan that she was still in love with Drew. However, Drew had by that stage thought Libby was completely over him and made plans to leave Erinsborough and return home to Oakey. When news of Drew's plans to sell his garage and leave town reached Libby, she tried to pretend it didn't matter to her and even announced that she intended to resume her travelling plans and work in England for a while.

But some stern words from Steph, who was secretly in love with Drew herself, prompted Libby to realise she was being a fool to let Drew walk out of her life. Libby stopped Drew from signing the contracts for the sale of the garage in the nick of time, and admitted to him that she was still in love with him and wanted him to stay. Drew was overjoyed with Libby's declaration of love for him and decided to stay in Erinsborough. Karl and Susan were thrilled when Libby and Drew arrived back at the house and announced they were back together, and Lou Carpenter threw an impromptu celebratory party for them down at the pub. Stephanie was taken aback when she walked in on the celebrations, but managed to put a brave face on throughout the night. The party continued back at the Kennedy house, but Steph left early, unable to take any more of the fuss. Libby followed her home, sensing that something had upset her, but Steph brushed it off as problems with her boss. When the party ended, Drew whisked Libby away to Tom's farm, and stopped to look at the stars with her on the way. Drew asked Libby to assure him she was with him for the long haul, and when she told him she was, he gave her engagement ring back - bringing to an end months of heartache and upset for the couple.

As the wedding preparations got underway again, Steph shocked Libby by announcing she couldn't be her bridesmaid. Steph made up an excuse about wanting to tour Australia on her motorbike, but Libby was suspicious about the decision. After seeing how upset Libby was, Drew pleaded with Steph to reconsider her decision for Libby's sake and she reluctantly agreed. Although Libby was relieved by Steph's change of mind, she still detected that Steph was trying to distance herself from her, and finally decided to confront her about her suspicions. Drew, who had found out a few months before how Steph felt about him, tried to talk Libby out of confronting Steph, but was eventually forced to tell Libby the truth. Libby was stunned at the revelation that Steph was in love with Drew, and when she raised the issue with Steph, Steph assured Libby that she had nothing to worry about since it was clear to everyone that Drew was devoted to her alone. In light of the revelation, both girls agreed that it would be too awkward to continue with the plan for Steph to be bridesmaid, and Libby asked her cousin, Gail, instead.

Libby received a substantial pay out from the Accident Compensation Board before the wedding, and decided to use the money to buy herself a brand new car. But Drew had been fixing up an old Volkswagen for Libby in the weeks preceding the pay-out and had planned to give it to her as a wedding present. And Drew's plan suffered a further setback when Libby saw the VW after stopping by the garage and - thinking the car belonged to a customer - remarked that she would never go for such an old car. Lou eventually told Libby that the car was meant for her as a surprise, and Libby felt awful for unwittingly insulting Drew. Libby was touched by Drew's idea the more she thought about it, and she happily accepted the VW instead of buying a flash car, and decided to put the compensation money aside for a deposit on a house.

Karl excitedly prepared his father of the bride speech for the wedding as the big day approached, but Libby told him she didn't want any speeches, fearing that her father would embarrass her. But when Libby came across Karl's wedding speech in the rubbish bin, she was touched when she read the heartfelt words he had written. Libby apologised to Karl for not giving him a chance to show her his ideas and told him she would be honoured to have him make the speech at the wedding.

The wedding plans suffered another setback when Gail called to say she couldn't be Libby's bridesmaid because her baby had to have some minor surgery the week of the wedding. Luckily, Tess and Dione Bliss plotted to heal the rift between Libby and Steph before the big day, and after the two girls made up, Libby was thrilled when Steph agreed to be her bridesmaid again. Final preparations for the big day followed, with Mal sending Libby a special videotaped message to make up for him not being able to get home from London for the wedding. Madge Bishop gave Libby a lace handkerchief from her own wedding day as something borrowed, and Libby was thrilled when Susan presented her with her mother's necklace as something old. Finally, on 21 February 2001, Libby and Drew were married, in a very touching, traditional Scottish wedding at St. Stephen's Church.

Their honeymoon in Surfer's Paradise was almost ruined when Geri Hallett showed up, announcing she had been sent up by the Erinsborough News to cover their honeymoon for the wedding column Libby had been writing in the weeks proceeding the big day. Although the newlyweds initially attempted to avoid Geri, they eventually gave in, and grant her some time with them so that they could get on with their honeymoon in peace.

Upon returning to Erinsborough, the couple stayed with Karl and Susan while they searched for a place to live. But Libby was less than impressed when Drew announced he had found a perfect flat for them close to Ramsay Street, and had already given the landlord the bond for fear of losing out on it. Although Libby tried desperately to like the flat, she admitted to Susan that she hated it. However, after thinking about the practical side of it and listening to Susan fondly remember her first flat with Karl and the happy memories it evoked, Libby decided to give the place a chance, and made the move into her first home with Drew.

While Libby was in London for Mal's wedding, Drew found himself having to ward off the advances of Ronnie Anderson, a customer from the garage who had developed an obsession with him. Ronnie even managed to make Libby suspect her and Drew of having an affair on her return to Erinsborough. Libby's suspicions increased when she found a mysterious earring under the cushion on the living room sofa and lipstick in the bathroom cabinet. But after Ronnie showed up in a frenzied state on the Kirks' doorstep claiming that she and Drew were having a full blown affair and were madly in love with each other, Libby realised that Ronnie was making everything up. Libby started to investigate Ronnie's background, and discovered that she was actually a missing person called Pamela Scott. After contacting Ronnie's father, Libby and Drew learnt that Ronnie was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after losing her fiancee in a rock-climbing accident while on their honeymoon. Libby hatched a plan to reunite Ronnie with her father by having Drew phone Ronnie's mobile under the guise of wanting to meet with her at the garage. When a thrilled Ronnie showed up at the garage convinced that Drew had finally seen sense about their 'relationship' she came face to face with her father and broke down in tears, before agreeing to go home with him.

Libby immediately fell in love with a stray puppy Drew found at the garage one day, and was determined to keep her. Unfortunately, the lease on their flat forbid them from keeping pets, and they were forced to put her in the dog pound. But Libby and Drew were devastated when they visited the puppy at the dog pound and were told she was going to be put down because she had a heart murmur and nobody would take her. Libby persuaded Drew to take the puppy home with them, and they agreed on calling her Audrey, after Audrey Hepburn, despite Drew preferring 'Muffin'. However, they still faced the problem of trying to keep Audrey's presence a secret from their landlord. A surprise inspection by the landlord threw Libby and Drew into panic one evening, and as Drew frantically cleaned up the flat to hide any clues that a dog was living there, Libby got into bed to hide Audrey under the covers. But Audrey started barking just as the landlord walked in, and Drew had to pretend that the noise was Libby coughing. Although he accepted Drew's explanation, he warned him that he would be keeping on the eye on the place for any signs of a dog. Luckily, Audrey was able to continue living at the flat without further interference.

Libby received a huge shock when she suspected she was pregnant, and after a home pregnancy test showed up as positive, Drew urged Libby to see Dr. Lewin, her gynaecologist, straight away. But Libby was so excited at the idea of being pregnant, she put the risks it could pose to her health out of her mind, and held off on seeing Dr. Lewin, opting for the peace and quiet of Tom's farm instead. Susan and Karl suspected the kids of having marriage problems when they discovered Libby had suddenly gone to her grandfathers, but they were stunned when, after pressing Drew for an explanation, he told them Libby might be pregnant. Upon her return, Karl desperately tried to get Libby to see her doctor, and she eventually agreed. After the pregnancy was confirmed, Libby and Drew were devastated to be told that if Libby went ahead with the pregnancy, it would be potentially life threatening. Drew assumed that the next step would be for Libby to have an abortion, but he was shocked when Libby told him she wasn't going to have an abortion because she had a good feeling about the pregnancy and was determined to have the baby. Drew, Susan and Karl all pleaded with Libby not to put her life in such danger, but never one to be told what to do, Libby insisted she wasn't changing her mind. Drew eventually warmed to the idea of being a father, and once Libby assured him she would cut her workload and take things easy throughout the pregnancy, he supported her decision. And Karl and Susan gradually came to understand that Libby really wanted to be a mother, and they pledged their love and support.

However, the pregnancy was to prove a traumatic few months for Libby. Despite her promise to Drew, she failed to cut back on her workload, and spent several weeks trying to secure an exclusive interview with the reclusive Dame Margaret Woolstead. Her hunt for Dame Margaret culminated in Libby collapsing in pain after finally tracking her down. Dame Margaret brought her inside and lay her on the couch while she called an ambulance, and as they waited for the ambulance to arrive, Dame Margaret tried to calm Libby down by granting her her long-sought-after interview. By the time Libby got to the hospital, the pain had stopped and while Drew, Karl and Susan rushed to her bedside to offer her comfort, Libby was more excited about finally getting her interview with Dame Margaret. Drew was furious with Libby for putting her life on the line by pursuing the interview in the first place, and warned her to give up journalism for the rest of the pregnancy. Libby infuriated Drew by rejecting his concerns and having her laptop and university work brought into her hospital room during her stay. But Drew came to realise that the work was just Libby's way of coping with the fear she was consumed with over the pregnancy after she broke down and told him how scared she was.

Libby was thrilled when her journalism skills were recognised with an award at the Regional Journalism Awards for her expose on the fixed quiz show, Brainbusters. As a result of the award, Libby was offered a job as Youth Affairs correspondent at The Chronicle, a major daily newspaper. Drew and Susan both immediately objected to the idea of Libby taking such a demanding job while she was pregnant but Libby was determined to accept the job since it would be a major step forward in her career as a journalist. Libby accepted the job after a meeting with The Chronicle's editor, Martin West. However, the offer was withdrawn the next day under strange circumstances, and Libby quickly realised that West had pulled out of the deal after learning she was pregnant. Family friend and trainee lawyer Maggie Hancock suggested Libby sue The Chronicle for discrimination and after thinking over the idea, Libby agreed with the suggestion. A preliminary meeting with the paper's lawyer, Simon Hart, ended tensely after he accused Libby of only pursuing the case to make money and warned Libby and Maggie not to waste their time going to court because The Chronicle was prepared to fight them all the way. The meeting with Hart only served to increase Libby's determination to fight The Chronicle all the way and Maggie and Susan supported her in her determination. However, both Drew and Karl - while assuring Libby that they were proud of her for fighting against the act of discrimination - worried that the case could affect her pregnancy. Libby agreed with them after the baby kicked for the first time and helped her put things into perspective. But just as she was about to tell The Chronicle she would not be pursuing the case, they offered Libby an out of court settlement of $10,000.

The offer put Libby in a difficult position. If she accepted the settlement, she was putting her reputation at risk by appearing to have only pursued the case to make money. On the other hand, the money would provide her and Drew with a decent financial base for the baby's arrival and buying a house - and Libby chose this option. But after receiving her settlement cheque in the post from The Chronicle, Libby realised they expected her to sign a document saying she had never been discriminated against by the paper and was never to talk about the incident to anyone. This infuriated Libby so much that she decided not to accept the settlement after all, and vowed to take the case to court and expose The Chronicle. Libby's fight against the newspaper was given a massive boost when Martin West's aggrieved secretary, Nancy Kelloway, approached Libby with some crucial evidence that would swing the case in her favour. Nancy provided Libby with an email West had sent her telling her that Libby was to be hired for the job on The Chronicle, and another email he had sent her later on the same day saying Libby wasn't suitable because she was pregnant. The new evidence forced The Chronicle to drop the case against Libby, and they agreed to settle with her. Libby was thrilled at her success in exposing the newspaper's discriminatory practices but her happiness was short-lived when she started to realise her name had been blacklisted in the journalism community as a result of the stand she had taken. The final straw for Libby was when her editor at the Erinsborough News - a former colleague of Martin West's - refused to publish her story in the paper. Disgusted by the betrayal from the newspaper she had worked on for so many years, Libby resigned.

Drew was less than pleased when Libby announced that in light of her resignation from the Erinsborough News she was intending to start up her own magazine with Nadia, a friend from uni, using the money she had received from The Chronicle. Aside from his concerns of Libby overdoing it so much in the final months of her pregnancy, Drew also felt that the settlement money should be used to get a house and to support the baby. But the couple eventually compromised, and Libby agreed to invest $5,000 of the settlement money in her magazine, and keep the rest for a house deposit. After a lot of hard work and preparation, Libby was thrilled to pick up the first issue of Demo magazine from the printers. But she was stunned when she discovered Nadia was pulling out of the magazine having landed a job as editor on The Chronicle's new weekly magazine - also called Demo. Libby was furious that Nadia had taken their idea and sold it to The Chronicle, but she refused to give up on her dream, and published the first issue herself, under the new title, New Voice.

Despite the baby being due any day, Libby insisted on going to Oakey with Drew and Karl for the annual rodeo in which Drew was competing. When Libby went for a walk during the rodeo, she stumbled across a barn and went inside to see some ponies. But a farmhand accidentally locked her in, and as Libby called out for someone to let her out, she went into labour. Libby tried to call Karl on her mobile as her contractions started getting stronger, but his mobile was switched off. She luckily managed to get hold of Susan back in Erinsborough, and after telling her what had happened, Susan scrambled to get hold of Karl and Drew. She finally got in touch with Karl by ringing Ron's cell phone, and Drew, Ron and Karl quickly found Libby locked inside the barn. Once they got her out, Libby was airlifted to Erinsborough Hospital where she gave birth to a baby boy. But her joy at becoming a mother was short lived after the warnings about it being dangerous for her to give birth proved true when she slipped into unconsciousness and flat lined. Luckily, the doctors brought her back from the brink of death, and after emergency surgery, Libby was stabilised and told she would make a full recovery.

Libby and Drew decided to call the baby 'Ben', although there was uncertainty over whether or not he should take Kennedy or Kirk as a surname. They eventually agreed on using Kennedy as Ben's middle name, as well as Ian, in memory of a former editor of Libby's from the Erinsborough News who died of cancer just before the baby's christening. Libby underwent a bout of postnatal depression for the first few weeks of Ben's life, but gradually came to terms with the pressures involved in bringing up a baby. And after attending an editorial meeting for the second issue of New Voice, Libby realised that motherhood had changed her priorities significantly and decided to reconsider her commitment to the magazine.

Libby and Drew were thrilled when Lou - who they had asked to be Ben's godfather -offered to let them move into No. 22 rent free since he was moving in with Harold Bishop next door at No. 24. Libby and Drew considered Lou's generous offer, with Libby strongly in favour of availing of Lou's offer and Drew less than enthusiastic about living across the street from Karl and Susan, fearing they would interfere by being so close. But Libby assured him that Susan and Karl would be no trouble, and after reminding him that they were already pretty close to them at the flat as it was, Drew finally agreed that he was worrying over nothing, and agreed to move into No. 22. They weren't alone at No.22 for long, however. Mal had returned from London and fallen out with Karl after he tried to oust Harold from the Coffee Shop, and as a result, spent a lot of time at Libby's seeking her help in healing the rift between him and Karl. And Steph moved in with the couple for a few months after discovering her fiancé, Marc Lambert had been having an affair with her sister, Flick.

Libby found herself attracted to the idea of following her mother's footsteps into teaching after giving a guest talk about careers in journalism to Year 10 students at Erinsborough High. Despite getting a hard time from some of the students, Libby realised it was a rewarding career, especially after she began mentoring Boyd Hoyland in his accelerated learning programme in the wake of the talk she gave. Libby also started teaching Connor O'Neill, who was staying at the Scullys, how to read after he revealed he was illiterate. Unfortunately, just as everything was coming together for Libby in life, a series of events were to turn her world upside down, and change her life forever.

When Susan slipped on some spilt milk, she suffered a nasty blow to her head and developed retrograde amnesia. The amnesia meant Susan lost the last thirty years of her memory, and Libby suddenly found herself with a mother who couldn't remember anything past her 16th birthday. Susan's amnesia brought about a massive upheaval in the Kennedy family, and Karl was devastated that his wife didn't remember anything of their marriage or children, and had no interest in remembering any of it either. Libby found it particularly difficult to deal with when Susan announced her plans to divorce Karl, and start her life afresh.

In the midst of this drama, tragedy struck when Drew was killed suddenly in a horse-riding accident. Libby and Drew had been asked to move to Oakey by Ron, who wanted Drew to go into partnership with him on a stud farm. While Libby was reluctant to leave Erinsborough, she agreed to travel to Oakey with Drew to listen to Ron's proposal, and found herself gradually warming to the idea. And when Ron presented the couple with a beautiful house he was planning to buy for them, Libby and Drew were even more taken with the idea of moving to Oakey. Drew was clearly in love with the idea, but Libby was concerned about leaving her family behind at such a critical time. However, after talking to Ron, and later Dougal, Libby began to realise how important Drew's family was to him, and she started to think it was only fair that after all the time they had spent around her family, it was only fair they do the same with Drew's. And when Libby reflected on how much she missed being part of a family, between Mal living in London and Billy in Queensland, and her parents headed for divorce, she began to think that moving to Oakey would be good for her, Drew and Ben as a family. Drew was thrilled when Libby finally told him that she wanted to move up, and they toasted the new life ahead of them. The next day, Drew took Libby riding up at the stud farm, but their relaxing day took a tragic turn when Drew's cantankerous horse, Boney, threw him off, and Drew dropped to the ground in agony. Libby rushed up to the house to call an ambulance as Drew gasped for breath. Drew lost consciousness on the way to the hospital, and had to undergo emergency surgery after damaging his liver. Karl, Susan and Steph all rushed up to Oakey to be with Libby as she waited for news, and after Karl spoke to a specialist, he was forced to break the devastating news to his daughter that her beloved Drew had died.

Drew was buried a few days later in Oakey, and Libby delivered a heartbreaking tribute to her husband at the service by singing Wild Mountain Thyme - the song Drew had serenaded her with at their wedding. Afterwards, Libby took Ben up to the house they would have been living in, and as they reflected on what had happened, Ron joined them. Blaming himself for his son's death by putting pressure on him to come back to Oakey, Ron told Libby that he wouldn't go ahead with the stud farm now. But Libby insisted that Ron should hold onto his plan, because otherwise, Drew's death had been for nothing.

Upon returning to Erinsborough, Libby retreated into herself as she struggled to come to terms with losing the love of her life. Her family and friends rallied to help and support her, but Libby rejected everyone, locking herself away at No. 22 with Ben. It was only when young Summer Hoyland called to see her that Libby started to pick herself up. Summer had had a huge crush on Drew, and he had bought a teddy bear for Summer after she was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome. Now, Summer wanted Libby to have the teddy, because she figured Libby needed it more than she did. The gesture prompted Libby into renewing her interest in Ben, who she had been largely neglecting in the preceding days, and she thanked Summer for her support. Susan also eased Libby's pain by offering to move in with her, and help her out around the house and taking care of Ben. Although Libby was initially apprehensive about the idea, she eventually realised that Susan meant well, and the arrangement worked out well for them both. As time passed, Susan's memory continued to improve, and her relationship with Karl had also been renewed in the wake of Drew's death. Susan also suggested she and Libby go to uni together, so that Libby could study to become a teacher, as she had been planning to before Drew's death.

Karl, Susan and Libby all reunited under one roof a few months later when Susan and Libby agreed to move back home to the Kennedy house. Although slightly worried about moving back in with her parents, Libby couldn't deny that the move would be of enormous benefit to her, as she juggled being a single mother and studying. And Karl and Susan's decision to renew their marriage vows thrilled Libby, and she gladly gave her mother away on the big day. There were sighs of relief all round in the middle of the ceremony when Susan regained her memory, and the Kennedys could finally put their nightmarish few months behind them.

Libby found herself racked with feelings of guilt and unease when she found herself developing feelings for Stuart Parker - an old mate of Drew's from Oakey who had stayed with Libby and Drew at their flat when he first came to town and was now living next door at No. 30. In the wake of Drew's death, Stuart had promised to be on hand for Libby and Ben if ever they needed anything, but as he spent increasing amounts of time with Libby, Stuart started to fall in love with her. Libby was initially oblivious to the fact that Stuart was attracted to her, and even entered them in a magazine competition to find the perfect couple in an attempt at winning a cash prize for Stuart to visit Flick - his fiancee - in New York. However, when Libby and Stuart made it through to the final stages of the competition and were asked to take part in a photo shoot in which they had to kiss, Libby pulled out and retreated in horror at the prospect of kissing someone else. After admitting to Susan that she was racked with guilt at realising she had feelings for Stuart, Susan suggested that Libby was just being too reliant on Stuart since he had started helping her out, and Libby decided to stop seeing so much of Stuart. Stuart was disappointed and surprised when Libby announced she didn't need him to pick Ben up from creche anymore but he was forced to accept her decision. However, matters were complicated further for Libby when Stuart met the Kennedys in the pub having lunch, and Libby was horrified when Ben called Stuart 'dada'. Stuart finally confronted Libby about her reasons for suddenly pulling back from him, and he revealed he had started to fall in love with her, and had even broke off his engagement with Flick. But Libby was adamant that nothing could happen between them, and while she had momentarily felt something for him, she no longer did.

Landing a work placement at Erinsborough High as part of her teaching course delighted Libby, because it meant working with Susan and also getting to teach in her old stomping ground. However, Libby was torn between being a teacher and a friend to the students at school after coming across Lori Lee putting up a full-blown shot of new principal Candace Barkham's adjusting a wedgie. Having thought Lori had taken them all down after she had a word with her, Libby was upset to later find the pictures still up around the school, and she was forced to dish out some stern words to Lori. On the other hand, Libby proved to be of enormous support to Year 12 student Taj Coppin as he struggled to come to terms with the discovery that his girlfriend Nina Tucker was seeing his best mate Jack Scully. Libby later went on to help Taj with his English and Media classes, and eventually agreed to tutor him in the subjects - without realising that Taj was actually falling madly in love with her.

It was only when Taj took to sending her bouquets of flowers and invited her to the movies with him that Libby realised he was attracted to her. Susan urged Libby to tackle him about his feelings but she refused, insisting it would all die down. Besides, Libby was busy falling for someone herself. Dr. Cameron Hodder had recently replaced Libby’s cousin Darcy at Karl’s surgery and although his initial meeting with Libby was a hostile one, they soon found themselves drawn to each other. They went on a couple of dates, but Libby was horrified when Cameron let it be known that he wasn’t hugely interested in kids. In fact, he had a young son of his own who he never saw by his own choice. Libby knew at that point that there could be no future for her and Cameron, given that Ben was a huge part of her life and before the relationship could go any further Libby called a halt to it.

Libby was soon forced to return her attentions to Taj when he kissed her one afternoon at school while she was helping him with a project in the editing suite. Libby was both shocked and appalled by Taj’s actions, and warned him not to dare do anything like it again. But Taj protested that he loved her, and refused to accept Libby’s insistence that it was just a schoolboy crush. Libby began to get confused about her feelings for Taj, especially when Steph suggested that perhaps, she liked him too. Susan, on the other hand, was adamant that Libby could not even entertain the notion of becoming involved with a student, and, in her capacity as VCE co-ordinator, Susan warned Taj off Libby. But it was an unsuccessful warning, and when Taj turned 18 shortly afterwards, he was even more confident about winning Libby over. Sadly, it was to take the tragic death of Dee on her wedding day to bring Libby and Taj together. Shocked by her friend’s disappearance and also overcome with painful memories of Drew’s death, Libby retreated to the pub to drown her sorrows. Taj met her there after finishing his shift at the hotel, and comforted her as she poured her heart out to him. Afterwards, Taj walked Libby home, but as they chatted on the porch, Libby admitted that she couldn’t face going inside. Taj invited her to spend the night at his house, since his parents were away, and he assured Libby he meant in a platonic sense. Libby thanked him for the gesture, and in that moment, gave in to her passions and kissed Taj.

Libby went back with Taj to his place and had sex with him, a course of action which she immediately regretted the following morning. Sleeping with Taj had proved to be a massive mistake for Libby and after she confessed all to Susan, she felt even worse. Susan was horrified that her daughter could do something so damaging to her career, and she gave her the cold shoulder for several weeks as a result. Karl, on the other hand, surprised Libby by being completely understanding with her predicament - a far cry from the days when he used to disapprove of virtually all Libby’s boyfriends.

Taj, meanwhile, had fallen for Libby even more now that they had slept together, and he pursued her relentlessly. Libby eventually told Taj she was going to arrange for him to be moved to a different media studies class. Taj was furious by this announcement, and called over to the Kennedy house after school to confront Libby. Not wanting Susan or Karl involved, Libby went outside to have a word with Taj. Taj told Liby she couldn’t keep avoiding the situation, and pressed her to sort things out once and for all. But Libby insisted the whole thing had to end immediately and warned Taj to stay away from her, before running back into the house. Taj shouted after her, telling her that he loved her, and then left the garden. However, unbeknown to both Taj and Libby, Boyd and his mate Daniel Clohesy had been in the Kennedy’s back yard retrieving their football and heard the whole conversation. By the end of that evening, half the kids from Erinsborough High knew, thanks to Daniel spreading the word down at the Coffee Shop. And when Steph heard Boyd and Daniel talking about it, she warned Libby about the ‘rumours’ the boys were circulating. Libby was shocked, but didn’t tell Steph that they were actually true. The next day, however, Libby called in sick to the school, unable to face Taj and the other kids.

Libby fled to Tom’s cabin in the mountains to try and clear her head for a few days. On top of the problem with Taj, Libby was also deeply upset over the tension that had erupted between her and Susan over the situation. Despite trying to call Susan several times while she was at the cabin, Susan couldn’t bring herself to speak to Libby. Karl drove up on the weekend to offer Libby his support as she contemplated her future, and unbeknown to Libby, Taj also made his way up to the mountains to see her. But when he saw her from the distance playing happily on the lawn with Ben, he finally realised there could never be anything else between them and he left a simple note explaining his feelings before returning to Erinsborough.

When Libby returned home, she was back in town just in time for the birth of Oscar Scully, and it was at the hospital whilst visiting Lyn and the newest Scully that Libby and Susan finally made their peace. However, the recent events had made Libby realise it was best for her to move out of No.28 and fend for herself again. And so, when Stuart needed to find somewhere else to live after falling out with Toadie, Libby suggested they rent a flat together. Stuart was a little reluctant to take such a big step on account of the feelings they had for each other a few months before, but Libby assured him it was just a logical move of convenience between friends. Although Karl and Susan were surprised by the announcement, they recognised the need to let Libby live her own life and kept their reservations to themselves. In the end, it wasn’t an attraction between Libby and Stuart that led to the new living arrangements failing to work, but rather a lack of attraction. Stuart was a messy bloke, Libby was a fussy mother. Realising they couldn’t live together, Libby asked Stuart to move out, and no sooner had he moved back in with Toadie at No.30 than Libby had moved Steph into the apartment. Steph had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, and didn’t want anyone but Libby and her brother Jack to know about her illness. This meant Steph had to break off her blossoming relationship with Max Hoyland, and move out of No.32 no sooner than she had moved in there. Libby was a huge source of support to Steph as she underwent an operation to have cancerous glands removed, although she did try to encourage Steph to tell Max and the rest of her family.

Meanwhile, Libby decided to pack in her teaching career after the Taj debacle and sent her letter of resignation to Candace Barkham. When Susan caught wind of Candace’s intention to call over to Libby's apartment for a chat, she tried to warn Libby in advance. However, Candace got there first, and Libby braced herself for a stern talking to. But she got the opposite - Candace surprised Libby by revealing she had fallen for a student six years younger than her when she first began working as a teacher. Libby was delighted to listen to Candace’s similar experiences, and considered Candace’s plea not to give up on her teaching career. Soon after, Libby was thrilled to be offered a permanent teaching job in Adelaide and decided to take it. Although Karl and Susan were devastated at the prospect of her leaving, along with little Ben, and Steph would miss her friend as she went through chemotherapy, everyone understood that Libby badly needed a fresh start and wished her the best of luck in her new endeavour.

In the initial months after Libby’s move to Adelaide, it seemed she wasn’t the only Kennedy who needed a fresh start. Karl was increasingly in turmoil over his career, missed opportunities – and most significantly, his marriage to Susan. He had turned to newcomer Izzy Hoyland, sister of Max, to confide in, although it gradually became clear that he was also attracted to the attractive new neighbour. In a matter of months, Karl and Susan’s marriage was practically over, and it culminated in Karl moving into a nearby flat. Libby was disgusted with her father, for what she saw as abandonment of her mother and she broke off contact with him. And when the opportunity of a two-year contract in Adelaide cropped up, Libby was torn over whether to accept it or return to Erinsborough. In the end, Libby decided that she wanted to be there for Susan at her darkest hour, and she and Ben returned to Erinsborugh. Susan was thrilled to have Lib and Ben back at No.28 with her, and Karl was delighted by their return. However, his joy was soured when he realised Libby had been back in town for a few days and hadn’t contacted him. At Susan’s urging, Libby called over to Karl’s flat to see him, where she vented her anger and confusion at him for walking out on nearly thirty years of marriage with Susan. Karl tearfully told Libby that it was all very confusing to him too, and that he was having difficulty coming to terms with the dramatic change in his life. But Libby took some comfort from Karl’s insistence that, contrary to rumours around the neighbourhood, he was not involved with Izzy and they were simply friends. The talk seemed to bode well for the future of Libby’s relationship with Karl, as they made their peace. But the resolution of the conflict between father and daughter was turned completely on its head when the next day, Libby called over to Karl’s unexpectedly and found Izzy there, having clearly spent the night with Karl. After Izzy hurriedly left, a disgusted Libby angrily confronted her father about the lies he had blatantly told her the day before. Karl desperately tried to explain to Libby that it had all happened unexpectedly the night before when Izzy called over and confessed she wanted to be with him. But Libby was having none of Karl’s explanations, and tearfully told him she was ashamed of him before returning home to break the news to Susan. And just as it seemed the situation couldn’t get any worse, Izzy announced she was pregnant with Karl’s child – a prospect which horrified Libby completely.

In the midst of such a huge crisis in her life, a face from the past arrived on Libby’s doorstep – literally. It came as a huge surprise to Libby when she came home to find the electrician fixing the Kennedy’s fuse box was none other than Darren. Although Libby was shocked to see him after so many years, the sparks were instantly reignited between the pair, and they were catching up on their respective lives over a coffee. Darren revealed Brett had kept him informed over the years about what Libby had been up to, and Libby was touched when Darren offered her his condolences over the death of Drew. He also impressed Libby with a new, more sensitive side, and he proved to be great with Ben.

The pair skirted around the fact that they were obviously still smitten with each other for weeks, and instead pretended all they wanted was friends. Darren irritated Libby by going on dates, and she retaliated by arranging to meet a guy she had been chatting to on the internet for a blind date. However, Libby was less than impressed when she turned up at the Coffee Shop to meet the mystery man and he appeared to be the same age as her grandfather. Luckily, he wasn’t the man she was due to meet and instead, Darren showed up. With no sign of her date, Libby was mortified in front of Darren, and stormed off. But she quickly realised that she had never told Darren she was meeting the guy from the internet, and clicked that her mystery man must have been him all along. After confronting Darren, Libby’s anger soon faded as he explained to her that he wanted to really show her he had changed and his whole reason for returning to Erinsborough and buying into Macauley’s Electricians was so he could give their relationship a second chance. Libby was thrilled with Darren’s confession that he was still in love with her, and they were soon dating again.

However, Libby was confused by Darren’s apparent reluctance to sleep with her. Despite numerous occasions were they had the chance to be alone, Darren kept thinking of excuses and places he had to be. He finally admitted to Libby that he had taken advice from Lou to leave her waiting as long as possible to ensure she wouldn’t be disappointed. Libby assured Darren she had waited long enough, and on the night of Stephanie and Max’s wedding they finally slept together. While Susan and Libby’s friends were thrilled for her, Karl was less than happy about Darren’s return to Libby’s life and made his feelings known. However, Libby made it clear to Karl that it was none of his business, and continued to have as little as possible to do with him. In fact, it was Darren who convinced Libby to call on Karl to wish him a Happy 49th Birthday.

Just as things looked like they couldn’t get any better between Libby and Darren, the ghosts of the past came back to haunt them. When there was a break-in at Jack Scully’s building site, all of the contractors who had had access to the site in recent weeks were questioned. Because Darren had worked on the site, he was included in the questioning, but he didn’t take too kindly to having the cops on his case again. Libby was initially furious when Karl suggested it was quite likely that Darren was the thief, given his criminal past, but after Darren presented her with an expensive necklace she began to consider the possibility that he may have committed the robbery. Matters were made worse when Jack, who had staged the break in himself to fund his drug habit, was convinced by his girlfriend, corrupt police constable Olivia MacPherson to let Darren take the blame. Darren was arrested, and Libby began to seriously doubt his innocence.

Although Darren’s name was cleared after his alibi checked out, he was by this stage, furious with Libby for not trusting him and allowing his past to yet again cloud the present. Within days, he arranged to sell the business and leave town, only telling Lou of his plans, and admitting to him that he had bought an engagement ring and had been building up to proposing to Libby. Knowing how much Libby and Darren were meant to be together, Lou told Libby about Darren’s plans and urged her to stop him. But she was too late. After catching up with him just as he signed the papers finalising the sale of Macauley’s, Libby was devastated when Darren told her he couldn’t stay with her because she didn’t trust him completely. Darren left town that same evening, making one last phone call to Libby as he drove out of town. From a phone box, he tearfully spoke to her down the phone, but as a heartbroken Libby pleaded with him to come back and forgive her, Darren left the ring in the phone box, the receiver dangling and left Erinsborough once more.

To take her mind off her broken heart, Libby decided to return to Erinsborough High when Candace offered her her former post as Media Studies teacher back. Although nervous on her first day back, Libby decided the best way to deal with any gossip and rumours amongst the students relating to her relationship with Taj was to talk frankly and openly about what she had done. The students respected her for her honesty and tough but firm approach to the situation and once day one was over, the Taj incident didn’t rear its head again.

When Libby entered a competition to win a date with the star of the addictive Brazilian soap opera Lust Na Vila, Alessandro Cortes, she never expected to be the winner. But before she knew it, she found herself being invited to a slap-up lunch at Lassiter’s with Alessandro and two guests of her choice. She brought Susan and Lyn along but immediately regretted it when Alessandro appeared to only have eyes for older women and barely gave her a look-in all day. However, after Lyn and Susan were gone and Libby was just about to leave, she was surprised when Alessandro invited her to dine with him that night at the hotel. He explained that because older women were the soap’s target audience, his producers forced him to shower them with affection and his flirtatious behaviour with Susan and Lyn had purely been for the photographers. Libby was hugely flattered when he gave her his room number at the hotel and pleaded with her to join him there later. Upon arriving home to a conversation between Susan and Lyn discussing how sexy Alessandro was and how lucky anyone would be to have him to themselves, Libby couldn’t resist Alessandro’s offer and raced back down to Lassiter’s. She spent the night with him but the next morning regretted her actions and hurried home. Alessandro raced after Libby, puzzled as to why she was leaving. He tried to persuade Libby to give him a chance but she apologised and insisted she had stuff to sort out. Sindi was shocked when Libby told her about her night of passion with Alessandro and couldn’t understand why she had left his hotel room so abruptly. However, Libby revealed that she was still desperately in love with Darren and couldn’t contemplate getting involved with anyone else.

No sooner had Libby realised that she was still pining for Darren than a bouquet of flowers were delivered to the Kennedy house from Darren with a card for Libby telling her he missed her. After some prompting from Sindi, Libby decided to give Darren a call and he admitted that he still loved her and wanted her and Ben to join him in Shepparton. Libby struggled to make her mind up, but after a heart to heart with Susan in which Susan urged her to grab any chance of happiness with both hands; Libby decided to make the move. Karl was a little taken aback by the suddenness of her decision, but respected Libby’s choice and finally gave his blessing to her union with Darren. After a rocky few months, father and daughter finally put the past behind them as Karl told Libby he loved her and was proud of her, and assured her that he would always be there for her. When Susan helped Libby pack her last belongings into the car, she broke down as she told Libby she had been her rock in recent months and couldn’t have got through it all without her. As the neighbours gathered on Ramsay Street to say goodbye to Libby, some last minute reservations crept in as she realised what she would be leaving behind. But everyone applauded her for following her heart and finally finding happiness with Darren. After a lingering kiss and thought of what might have been with Stuart, emotional goodbyes to her long standing neighbours Lou and Harold, and tearful farewells to her closest friends Toadie and Steph, Libby said a final goodbye to Susan as she and Ben left Ramsay Street to begin their new life with Darren. And Ramsay Street waved goodbye to a much-loved resident who had arrived ten years before as a fresh faced teenager and was leaving an independent young woman with a world of experience behind her.

In 2007, Libby and Ben returned to Ramsay Street when Susan was facing one of the biggest crisises of her life. After falling asleep at the wheel and knocking down 16-year-old neighbour Bridget Parker (the daughter of Drew's best mate Steve, who had recently moved into No.26 with his family), Susan was in court charged with reckless driving. As Libby returned, the legal proceedings had a happy outcome, with Susan receiving a one-year custodial sentence, suspended for three years, but the mysterious medical condition that had caused her to fall asleep in the first place was still causing concern. After some tests, everyone was alarmed to learn that Susan had been suffering from TIAs, a series of small strokes, with the possibility of a larger one striking at any moment. Concerned for her mum's health, Libby decided to stick around indefinitely, despite the cramped conditions at the Kennedy house. In the years Libby had been living in Shepparton, Susan had married a terminally ill university lecturer, Alex Kinski, and when he died, she had become guardian to his two teenage children, Rachel and Zeke. Karl, meanwhile, had gone on to father a child - Holly - with Izzy, but she had since relocated to London and Susan and Karl were now remarried. Although Susan had come to terms with Karl's parentage of Izzy's baby, it irked Libby and tension was still apparent between father and daughter.

Meanwhile, Libby began to cause suspicion amongst her family and friends when she continuously changed the subject whenever anyone asked when Darren would be joining her. She kept insisting he was too busy with work back in Shepparton to come down to Erinsborough, but Susan and Karl knew something was up when she began refusing to take his phone calls. Steph was also quick to pick up on Libby's reluctance to discuss Darren and told Toadie, who she was now engaged to, of her suspicions but whenever she tried to broach the subject with her, Libby clammed up or found an excuse to leave.

Susan's continuing health problems took centre stage, however, when she was finally diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. The Kennedy family were devastated by the news, and Libby threw herself into playing the role of mother to Zeke and Rachel while Susan was in hospital coming to terms with it all. When Zeke was in trouble at school, Libby took on the task of appearing before his teacher - her old colleague, Daniel Fitzgerald - in order to keep any further drama from Karl and Susan, and she told the kids that they were to come to her with any problems for the forseeable future.

In the midst of all this drama, Darren showed up on Ramsay Street clutching a bouquet of flowers and was determined to see Libby. She was having none of it, however, and refused to even let him up the driveway of No.28. Karl appeared in the middle of the stand-off between the pair, and he and Darren ended up coming to blows as Darren told him to mind his own business. Libby broke things up and told Darren that it was over between them, before storming inside and refusing to elaborate further with a puzzled Karl. It was only after much prodding that Karl finally got Libby to admit that Darren had been having an affair with her neighbour and friend, Lynda Stephens. She had originally believed it to be a one night stand but on the day of Susan's court case, Libby had discovered it was a full blown affair, prompting her to pack up and head straight home to Erinsborough. Karl tried to support Libby but when he pressed her over why she had kept it all to herself, Libby angrily retorted that she felt uncomfortable talking to Karl about it given he had cheated on Susan in much the same way. Having calmed down, Libby apologised to Karl and the two united to plan a special homecoming party on Ramsay Street to mark Susan's return from hospital. Darren, however, wasn't going away and was staying with Lou and Harold across the street, leading to many questions from Ben as to why Darren wasn't staying with them. Libby explained to him that there just wasn't enough space at No.28, particularly with Susan needing to rest and recuperate upon her return from hospital. Susan, meanwhile, was disgusted when she learnt of Darren's affair and when he appeared at the Kennedys to see her, she threw him out.

Libby made moves to emphasise things were over between her and Darren by enrolling Ben at Erinsborough Primary School, and when Darren found out, Libby told him it had nothing to do with him since Ben wasn't his son. Hurt by this, Darren retreated to Toadie's to confide in him, and admitted that he had been driven to the affair with Lynda because of the Drew factor - Libby hadn't let go of Drew and when Darren had asked to adopt Ben, she had refused, fearing it would diminish Ben's memory of his father. Toadie's support for Darren caused a rift between him and Steph because Steph obviously sided with Libby.

With Christmas approaching, Libby realised it was unfair to Ben to keep him from seeing Darren and she agreed to let Darren take care of him while she did some Christmas shopping. But when Darren dropped Ben home and Ben started talking about going on a fishing trip with Darren once they were all back in Shepparton, Libby accused Darren of using Ben to get her back - leaving Darren furious that she would ever suggest he'd use the child in such a way.

Seeing how hurt Darren was and how he simply wasn't prepared to give up on her, Libby began to have second thoughts about ending their relationship. Witnessing how much in love her parents still were, despite all the ups and downs they'd experienced, made Libby wonder if she could forgive Darren. Steph added to her misgivings by pointing out that she was worshipping Drew's memory and unfairly measuring up her relationship with Darren against the rose coloured view she had of her marriage to Drew. Libby initially rejected Steph's theory, insisting it didn't mean Darren should have felt free to have an affair but Steph reasoned that by depriving Darren of the right to marry her or adopt Ben meant Libby was signalling to him that he would never live up to Drew. While Libby was angry with Steph, the home truths she had delivered resonated with her enough to admit to herself that her actions had played a part in the break-up and she decided to give things another go with Darren.

Libby was touched when Darren presented her with a beautiful pendant for Christmas and announced he had won a major wiring contract on a new housing development in Shepparton. But just as everything seemed to be going right for them, Libby announced to Darren that she wasn't prepared to move back to Shepparton and wanted them to make a fresh start in Erinsborough. Darren was less than pleased with the ultimatum, thinking Libby was trying to punish him for his mistakes and he told her he would need time to think about things. While Libby happily started telling her family that she and Darren were back together and staying in Ramsay Street, Darren was confiding in tomboy mechanic Janae Timmins, who was fixing the engine on his van in return for him repairing the dodgy wiring at her garage. Janae was also having relationship problems with her boyfriend Ned Parker, younger brother of Stuart, and as she and Darren confided in each other, Janae kissed Darren.

While all this was going on, across town further drama was unfolding. The teens of Ramsay Street, including Zeke, had sneaked off to an illegal dance party in a disused warehouse and when it had collapsed, Zeke and several others had been trapped under the rubble. Libby rushed in to help Zeke, but became trapped herself when there was secondary collapse. Having fallen unconscious, Libby was eventually rescued by Daniel, who was at the scene of the collapse in his capacity as an SES volunteer, and in the wake of the accident, she and Darren vowed to make the most of their lives together and look to the future. Libby even agreed to move to Shepparton so that they wouldn't miss out on the financial stability the housing contract would provide.

Unfortunately, as had been the case with Libby and Darren since they were teenagers, another stupid mistake involving Darren and another woman was to once again prove the couple's undoing. Janae had been riddled with guilt over the kiss she and Darren had shared and had revealed all to Ned. Darren had pleaded with Ned not to tell Libby, and Ned agreed to keep it to himself unless Libby ever asked him out straight about it. Darren anxiously made final preparations for the move back to Shepparton, delighting Libby by revealing he had put in an offer for a cottage she had been admiring in Shepparton for some time. But a stressed Janae ruined everything by harrassing Darren at a party in No.30 to celebrate the birth of Chloe Cammeniti by insisting that Libby should know what they did. Just as she blurted this out to Darren, a power failure caused the music to cut out and their conversation was heard by everyone, including Karl and Susan, who demanded to know what they were referring to. Realising the game was up, Darren went to find Libby in the kitchen of No.30, where he revealed he had kissed Janae. Libby was stunned by this latest revelation and quickly became angry with herself for allowing herself to give Darren yet another chance only for him to let her down again. Unable to ever trust Darren again, Libby told him it was over and he was to stay away from her, her family and Ben. When the dust had settled a few days later, Libby asked Darren to sit down with her and explain to Ben that their relationship was over. Ben didn't understand why they were not going to be together anymore, but Darren took full responsibility, saying he had hurt his mum's feelings very badly. Later that day, Darren said a final goodbye to Ben, asking him to take care of Libby, before leaving Erinsborough, and a tearful Libby behind for good.

Libby's anguish over the split with Darren was soon distracted by a family crisis. Rachel had been involved in a secret relationship with her young teacher Angus Henderson, and when the truth was exposed, Angus had lost his job and been charged by the police while Rachel and Susan locked horns over her behaviour. Libby found herself providing a shoulder to cry on for Rachel, particularly given the similarities to the position she had found herself in with Taj when she was teaching at the school. Libby's stance on the issue caused friction with Susan, but Libby explained to Susan that she needed to approach the situation as a parent and not a teacher. Further damage was done to the family when the Erinsborough News got hold of the story and prepared to publish it on its front page. Libby paid a visit to the editor, Brad Jordan, in the hope that her history with the newspaper might help talk him out of publishing the story but he refused. Brad became further involved in the saga, however, when Rachel ran away from home and hid out at Brad's house, unbeknownst to him, with his daughter and Rachel's schoolfriend Taylah. When Brad found Rachel, he promptly called the Kennedys over to take her home, and once back at No.28, Rachel unleashed a scathing attack on Susan, culminating in her telling Susan she hated her. Libby later found Rachel in her room and finally made her see that Angus wasn't going to return the multitude of messages she had been leaving with him ever since their relationship had been exposed. Libby explained to Rachel that she had been in Angus' shoes herself and how it had almost ruined her life, Taj's life and her relationship with Susan. Although the revelation had suceeded in getting Rachel to re-think her behaviour towards Susan, it only served to resurrect the bad feeling between Susan and Libby over the Taj relationship. Susan was unimpressed with Libby telling Rachel about it, believing it would only make Rachel justify her relationship with Angus even more and she reminded Libby that it had hardly been her proudest moment. With tension high between mother and daughter, Susan later apologised when she realised Libby had actually helped Rachel by telling her about Taj and Libby warned Susan not to judge Rachel in the same way she had judged her, before they hugged and made up.

With a lot of her belongings still in Shepparton, Libby asked Steph to accompany her there for the weekend to pack up and tie up one final loose end. With Darren away, Libby had the place to herself but she was confronted with a visit from Lynda soon after arriving. A frosty exchange occurred but Lynda helped Libby achieve some final closure on things by telling her that Darren had always loved her, but just always felt he was never going to match up for Drew. Having packed everything up and put Lynda out of her life, Libby decided to let her down and she and Steph headed for a local pub where they got the pulses racing of the mainly male punters by dancing on the bar Coyote Ugly style.

With a life to rebuild for herself in Erinsborough, Libby applied for a teaching position at her old stomping ground, Erinsborough High and found herself having to contend with the class clown Justin Hunter taking swipes at Rachel on her first day. But once settled back in, Libby was at the heart of the school once again and became a teacher who the students could always go to for help and advice. Working at the school also meant Libby was seeing more of Daniel, and they regularly hooked up for coffees and chats during and after school. It soon became evident that there was an attraction between them and things came to a head when they accompanied the Year 11 students on the school camp in the bush. But just as Libby was beginning to open up to the possibility of a relationship with Dan, he broke the news to her that the girlfriend he had once spoken about, Samantha, was actually his wife and they were still married. Libby immediately jumped to the conclusion that Dan was playing away from his wife and determined not to be the other woman, she stormed off without letting him explain any further. The following morning at camp, Dan again tried to explain things but only got as far as telling Libby that his wife was ill before she assumed he had cruelly left her because she was sick.

Once they were back in Erinsborough, Libby reluctantly agreed to have a drink with Dan at Charlie’s bar to hear him out and she was surprised to learn that Samantha was bipolar. Daniel explained how he hadn’t left her, but rather she had left him because she wanted him to have a life free of worrying about when she would next have an episode or turn to drugs and casual sex with strangers (as she had done in the past) to escape her problems. Libby thanked Dan for being honest with her, but rejected his assertion that he could move on from Samantha and commit to a relationship with her because she could tell by talking to him that he still cared for his wife and as long as that was the case, she couldn’t pursue things any further with him. In order to prove to Libby that things were over between him and Samantha, Dan began trying to track her down so that he could divorce her. But Libby was unhappy at the prospect of being part of a potential divorce and sought advice from Toadie on what possible role she would play in any legal aspects of the divorce. However, on top of assuring Libby that she would play no part in the divorce because Dan and Samantha were already separated for a number of years, Toadie made Libby see that life was too short to be agonising over whether or not to get into a relationship and Libby resolved to go for it with Dan. But a spanner was thrown into proceedings when Samantha showed up in Erinsborough, having heard that Dan had been looking for her. An awkward moment occurred when Libby was introduced to Sam by Dan, and Libby detected straight away that Sam still had feelings for her estranged husband. Although agreeing to the divorce, Sam decided to stick around in Erinsborough and accepted some work at Toadie’s law practice where his partner Rosetta Cammeniti had studied with her at uni. Libby and Dan again took to tip-toeing around their feelings for each other but when Dan suffered some minor injuries in a mineshaft collapse and was taken to hospital, Samantha was on hand to comfort him and they began to rediscover their feelings for one another. Libby was then forced to put on a brave face as Dan and Sam decided to give their marriage another go.

Libby, meanwhile, decided to move in with Steph at No.32 after her relationship with Toadie ended and she was rattling around the house with only her young son Charlie for company. The arrangement suited because the Kennedy house was filled with teen angst and Ben and Charlie enjoyed each other’s company, while Libby and Steph relished the chance to spend more time together. However, with Dan and Sam living happily next door at No.30, Libby found it increasingly awkward to be around them. But after Ben went missing one afternoon and Sam found him down a drain on Ramsay Street, where he was pretending to be an SES volunteer like Dan, Libby attempted to express her gratitude by inviting the couple over for dinner. Sam opted out at the last moment but insisted Dan go ahead without her. Libby and Dan went on to have a great evening together, and Ben loved having Dan around. Sam had a change of heart, though, and made her way over to No.32 where she witnessed Libby, Dan and Ben acting like a happy family unit through the window. A few days later, Sam and Libby were at No.30 together when Sam admitted to Libby that she had faked an illness so as to avoid the dinner and Libby assured her that she had nothing to worry about – she had no intention of making a play for Dan. However, Libby and Dan were once again thrown together at school when the prissy Head of Senior School Helen Carr forced them to teach dance classes for the seniors ahead of the formal dance. With Dan’s dancing skills leaving a lot to be desired, Libby began teaching him after school but when Sam dropped into the school and saw them together, she picked up on the chemistry between them.

In an attempt at holding onto her man, Samantha asked Dan to try for another baby (she had miscarried some years previous) and he reluctantly agreed, even though it would mean her coming off her medication. When Libby walked in on Sam taking a pregnancy test one day at the law offices, she wrongly assumed Sam’s test had been positive and congratulated her. The test had been negative, however, but Sam decided to go along with the pretence of being pregnant. When Libby saw Dan a few hours later, she inadvertently broke the news to him and assured him that she was very happy for them both. When Dan came down with chicken pox, he sent Sam out of the house so that the baby wouldn’t be in danger and Libby dropped by the office to drop some food off for her only to find her frantically scrubbing the filing cabinets. The behaviour worried Libby, and she raised it with Dan. However, Sam had covered her tracks by telling Dan the office had been overcome by a plague of ants which had forced her to scrub the place clean, and he reacted angrily to Libby’s interference, telling her to stay out of his business.

(To be continued - 2008 to 2010)

In 2014, Libby returned to town for a few weeks to help out her mum, who'd since returned to Erinsborough High as principal, and needed someone to fill in as vice principal. When Libby mentioned that she'd been at a loose end since her old school in Ballarat had closed, Karl began to wonder if they might be able to persuade Libby to come back permanently. As Susan fell ill on Libby's first day, she soon found herself in the role of acting principal, swamped with problems and requests by parents, students and teachers, but surprised herself when she managed to cope well, and told her parents that she'd been thinking about giving up teaching, but might now be getting her confidence back. As she settled into her new role, Libby was unaware that Karl was encouraging Susan to take more sick leave than she needed, hoping that Libby might decide to stay. Meanwhile, Libby was forced to suspend Ben when he got into a fight as he started attending Erinsborough High. Spending more time with his grandson, Karl came to realise just how much he was struggling with being in Erinsborough again, as he'd been thinking about his father a lot more recently. When Libby found out what her parents had been doing, she was annoyed with their plotting to keep her around, but began to consider it seriously, and when Ben offered his support, she decided that they would stay. Karl, however, knew that Ben wasn't being entirely honest with his mum, and got him to open up about his worries. Libby agreed that they'd leave, and that they'd take a road trip to Oakey and spend some time in the town where Drew had grown up. Although they wouldn't rule out a move back to Erinsborough, Libby and Ben agreed that, for now, their home was in Ballarat.

Trivia Notes
• Libby once wrote "please" over and over in an entire notebook when asking her parents for tickets to a Bros. concert
• Libby was addicted to Brazilian soap opera Lust Na Vila
• Although she was only 15 when she arrived in 1994, Libby turned 21 on 29th October 1998. She was then said to be 22 years old when she married in February 2001, and upon her return in 2007, she was said to be 27
• Libby's move to Adelaide from October 2003 until May 2004 was to account for Kym Valentine's real-life maternity leave
• In 2005, Libby made a cameo appearance in Annalise's 20th Anniversary Documentary
• In 2008, Kym Valentine was taken seriously ill with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. Libby was heavily involved with storylines at the time so Michala Banas was recruited to cover Kym's role from episode 5581 to 5605. A recovered Valentine returned at the start of the 2009 season
• On 4th May 2011 [episode 6153], Libby created a five year plan for herself. It read:
MY FIVE YEAR PLAN
Career Goals
• Be Principle
• Explore motivational speaking
• Write YA novel
Relationship Goals
• Marry man with no emotional baggage
• Take Ben to Europe
• Visit Steph every month
Health Goals
• Run the Melbourne Marathon
• Maintain regular meditation practice
• Fruit juice detox ever second month
Financial Goals
• Own property
• Invest in shares
• Own a brand new car

• In episode 6154, Libby looked back at her year 12 high school year book entry. It read:
ELIZABETH KENNEDY
Student Most Likely To Succeed
Ambitions: Become a journalist or a politician. Run a newspaper, be Prime Minister. Travel the world. Climb the Himalayas.

Tenure
2251-4605, 4773, 5341-5580, 5581-5605, 5606-6053, 6133-6169, 6903-6914

Magic Moments
Episode 2251: The Kennedys' Arrival
Episode 3708: Drew and Libby's Wedding
Episode 3920: Ben's Birth
Episode 4091: Drew's Death
Episode 4477: Libby's Return
Episode 4605: Libby's Departure
Episode 5341: Libby and Ben's Return

Biography by Mark

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