For most A-list couples, making a star-studded cameo on your respective partner’s TV show is somewhat of a rite of passage.
And while Friends fans will never forget the time Jennifer Aniston’s then husband Brad Pitt made a guest appearance on the hit show back in 2001, playing a former school nemesis of Rachel’s, on our own shores we’ve got Aussie golden couple Bec and Lleyton Hewitt to thank for some old school TV gold.
WATCH IN THE PLAYER ABOVE: Lleyton Hewitt and Bec Cartwright’s amazing Home And Away moment
The year was 2005. Bec Cartwright was at the peak of her Home And Away stardom playing a pregnant Hayley Smith on the long-running soapie and her new fiancé, tennis star Lleyton Hewitt, decided to flex his acting muscles and drop by the set of Summer Bay.
At the time, Lleyton confessed the idea of his Home And Away cameo started out as a joke during a post-match interview with Jim Courier.
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“I actually said it as a joke at the end of a four and a half hour [tennis] marathon. But I watched the show when I was younger and with Bec working on the show I thought I would give it a go”, Lleyton explained.
“Having Bec in the scenes with me though helped calmed the nerves,” he added.
According to Bec, her partner Lleyton (who would ultimately go on to be the father of her three children) nailed his acting debut.
“I am very proud of him. He got his lines right every time. I thought it could be quite overwhelming for him because he was on set with cast and crew and extras but he handled himself so well. I think Lleyton felt comfortable with everyone as all the cast and crew made him feel so welcomed,” the actress revealed.
In his role, Lleyton starred in two scenes alongside Bec and her on-screen love interest Kim (played by Chris Hemsworth), as well as characters Tasha (Isabel Lucas) and Irene (Lynne McGranger, which were filmed in the iconic diner.
“The scenes were a play on reality, a bit tongue in cheek which was quite funny to play against him. I am going about my business as my character Hayley, when I notice this guy looking at me. Lleyton just sees me as Bec but obviously I am in character not knowing why he thinks he knows me. The storyline was quite clever actually and we had a bit of laugh,” Bec reflected.
Luckily for you, we’ve dug deep into our archives and found every single photo from Lleyton’s Home And Away appearance! Keep scrolling to relive his time on Summer Bay
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Young love: She was the rising actress who played Hayley Smith Lawson on Home And Away, with a music career on the side (seriously, All Seats Taken is still a classic banger). He was the tennis young gun making waves on the court and dividing opinion as a the bad boy of tennis.
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The Bec and Lleyton show! Both at the peak of their careers and newly engaged, Lleyton decided to make an A-list cameo on the set of his soon-to-be wife’s TV show Home And Away back in 2005.
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He only has eyes for her! “The scenes were a play on reality, a bit tongue in cheek which was quite funny to play against him. I am going about my business as my character Hayley, when I notice this guy looking at me. Lleyton just sees me as Bec but obviously I am in character not knowing why he thinks he knows me. The storyline was quite clever actually and we had a bit of laugh,” Bec explained of Lleyton’s cameo.
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Talk about a star-studded line-up (L-R): Chris Hemsworth, who played Hayley’s love interest Kim on the show, Bec Cartwright, Zac Drayson (Will), Isabel Lucas (Tasha) and tennis star Lleyton Hewitt is lingering in the top righthand corner.
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Lleyton gets some pointers from Home And Away legend Ray Meagher. WATCH IN THE NEXT SLIDE: Lleyton isn’t the only star to make a cameo on Home And Away, check out John Farnham’s appearance!
John Farnham stars on Home and Away
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Bec, Lleyton and Lynne rehearse their lines.
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Lleyton is ready for his close-up!
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Following their Home And Away collaboration, the pair tied knot at the Sydney Opera House in July 2005 when Bec was several months pregnant with their first child Mia.
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Bec left Home And Away in 2005 and went on to raise three beautiful children with Lleyton daughter Mia, 14, son Cruz, 11, and daughter Ava, nine.
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Sadly that marked Lletyton’s first and last acting gig! But he did go on to enjoy a successful tennis career before retiring in 2016.
