Home and Away Spoilers – Irene leaves the Pier Diner forever

Next week on Home and Away in the UK, Irene works her final ever shift at the Pier Diner after handing it over to Leah.

Following her devastating Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Irene (Lynne McGranger) has made the big decision to take a step back from the Pier Diner after nearly two decades.

Irene’s worst fears were realised last week, when her consultant confirmed the preliminary diagnosis given by Bree (Juliet Godwin) following a lumbar puncture.

Returning from her appointment accompanied by John (Shane Withington), Irene glanced over all the photos adorning her shelves—devastated by the fact that, in the not too distant future, she wouldn’t be able to name any of the people pictured.

She soon tasked herself with removing all the photos from their frames and writing the names on the back of them, reliving fond memories as she did so.

With Irene opting to keep her diagnosis secret at first, John struggled with the constant web of lies they were having to feed their friends.

Eventually, Justin (James Stewart) worked out that John’s worry over an old navy buddy was simply a cover story, it was Irene he was worried about. John admitted the truth, but Justin agreed to keep her news from Leah until Irene was ready.

Whilst Irene tried to put on a brave face, Leah’s ongoing concern caused Irene to lose her temper and throw her out of the Beach House. The following day however, Irene finally came clean about her diagnosis.

Next week, Leah is desperate to come up with some alternative arrangements—perhaps she could drop down to just a few shifts per week?

But Irene’s mind is made up, she knows that things are only going to get progressively worse from here on in. She is leaving today.

At that moment, Marilyn (Emily Symons) enters, and immediately picks up on the morose mood. Irene knows it’s time to have the difficult conversation with her.

Marilyn is devastated by the news, and immediately feels guilty for not checking Irene was okay before now.

When Marilyn asks if there’s anything she can do, Irene asks them simply to keep the place running as smoothly as possible.

Leah and Marilyn tearfully agree that they can manage that.

As Irene asking Marilyn, for one final time, to “get back to work, girlie,” Justin comes in and follows Leah into the storeroom as she takes a moment to herself.

Her eyes are brimming with tears as Leah tells him that today is Irene’s last day at work.

Later that evening, Irene is alone in the diner in the process of shutting up shop for the final time. Everywhere she looks, she’s reminded of the happy times she’s spent in the Pier Diner over the past 17 years.

We flashback to the day Irene first opened up in May 2008, with Geoff (Lincoln Lewis), Annie (Charlotte Best) and Miles (Josh Quong Tart) as her first customers, the time the community rallied to support the business after the great mushroom poisoning of 2014, and some further moments from more recent years.

The next morning, Leah shows up at the Beach House with a huge bunch of flowers, to celebrate the first day of Irene’s retirement.

Leah declines a cuppa as she has to get to work, but quickly points out to Irene could still carry on as a partner in the business if she wanted to. Irene is determined to wipe the slate clean however, and wants to sell her share of the business as soon as she can.

As Leah tells her that she’ll speak to the bank manager about a loan, Irene apologises if she’s put her under any pressure. She offers to try and find another buyer, but Leah doesn’t want that—if she can’t be partnered with Irene, she wants to go it alone.

When Irene asks Leah if she wants a cuppa, the reality of the situation hits home again—Irene’s already asked that question.

Later that morning, Irene shows up at the diner. But for the first time ever, she’s a customer.

As Marilyn shows Irene to a table, the moment hits hard for both her and Leah. Irene tries to keep things light, asking a tearful Marilyn what she’d recommend from the menu.

Marilyn manages a smile, suggesting the coffee, though she can’t help but remark that their best barista retired only yesterday.

“It just doesn’t feel right, does it?” Leah quietly remarks to Justin. “She should be running the business with me.”

Sensing the tension, Justin joins Irene for breakfast, and she takes the chance to ask him to keep an eye on Leah once she’s gone, admitting that the diner can be a little chaotic at times.