Nina Tucker
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Nina Tucker is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera, Neighbours, played by popular singer Delta Goodrem. She joined the show as a regular character in 2002, eventually leaving the show late in 2003. Nina has also made brief appearances in the show's 2004 and 2005 seasons.
Storylines
Nina was introduced in Episode 4022 of the show. At the time, she was an incredibly shy girl who was about to join Erinsborough High School. Little was known about her past, just that her parents liked to travel and the general impression amongst the show’s characters was that Nina would not be around for very long.
Nina soon made friends with Michelle Scully, who was also a student at Erinsborough High. Michelle initially mistook Nina’s shy nature for rudeness, but the pair soon grew close.
The long-term story arc for Nina was the discovery and development of her talent as a singer. Coffee Shop owner Harold Bishop overheard Nina singing one night, as she cleaned up as part of her job in the shop. He was stunned by her obvious talent, offering her a part in the Erinsborough choir. However, when it came to a solo performance, her shyness got the better of her, and she dropped out.
Later, Michelle's boyfriend, Connor O'Neil overheard Nina singing 'Born To Try', a song which would soon be released by Goodrem from her debut album, Innocent Eyes. Despite Nina's wishes, he entered the song into a local radio competition, which she eventually won. Nina was forced to overcome her shyness once and for all, to stop arch-enemy Tahnee Coppin from taking the credit for the song, and her true talent was revealed to everybody in Erinsborough. Her new-found confidence landed her a gig at local nightclub Hemisfear. She turned down a contract with a producer after learning that her parents would have to agree to the deal.
Eventually, Nina found another manager called Melody. She was extremely pushy and forced Nina to invent a relationship with Robbie D, another budding singer who she managed. However, when Nina's mother, Trixie, discovered that she had forged her signature on the contract with Melody, she hit the roof, and Nina's association with Melody was cut short.
Late in the 2003 season, Nina's father offered her a role in a Bollywood musical, so she left for Bombay to finally follow her dreams. Returning for a brief stint in 2004, Nina was a successful actress and had appeared in several movies. Once again, she left Ramsay Street to continue her career in Los Angeles.
As well as the storylines which followed her blossoming music career, Nina's time on the show also saw her deal with various problems in her love life. She originally had a crush on Connor, but refused to act on it out of respect for her best friend, Michelle, who he was dating. When Tahnee, a school bully, discovered the truth, she blackmailed Nina, and temporarily destroyed her friendship with Michelle after revealing the truth.
Nina soon moved on to Taj Coppin, a fellow student who was also Tahnee's brother. Their relationship seemed to be going well, until Nina started to become attracted to Michelle's brother, Jack Scully, when they starred in a community play together. They ended up betraying their fellow partners and acted upon their feelings. Nina's relationship with Jack was short-lived, however, as he cheated on her with another girl who had caught his eye, Edwina. When Nina discovered the truth, she was devastated and found herself growing close to Connor again, who had broke up with Michelle some months earlier.
When Nina returned in 2004, she realised that Jack had changed and offered him the opportunity to come and live with her in Los Angeles. He initially refused but eventually decided to join her, after actor Jay Bunyan, who played Jack, left the show. A scene in the second episode of the 2005 season saw Nina and Jack reunite in the USA.
The character of Nina also served to publicise the career of Delta Goodrem. Many of the songs from Delta's Innocent Eyes album were performed on the show. As mentioned earlier, these included 'Born To Try', as well as 'Innocent Eyes' and 'Will You Fall For Me'. Another song, 'This Is Not Me' was used as an incidental music track in a scene featuring Nina and Robbie D.
Cancelled storylines
Nina's time on the show was cut short due to Delta Goodrem's diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer. Delta was forced to leave the show before her contract had expired, meaning that her upcoming storylines had to be cancelled or given to other characters.
Producers of the soap revealed that Nina would have married Connor O'Neil, as a means of allowing him to stay in the country. Following Nina's departure, the storyline was changed to show Connor developing a unique beer, as proof that he had a talent which was beneficial to the country.
Another storyline, which would have seen Nina drawn into the web of a sinister photographer, Chris Cousens, was instead given to Serena Bishop, played by Lara Sacher.
Future appearances
Due to the popularity of Delta Goodrem's musical career, it seems unlikely that Nina will return as a regular character. However, Delta has promised that she will continue to return for guest stints, and has already filmed another appearance to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the soap.
