Ruth Wilkinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ailsa Piper. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1996. Ruth was introduced as Helen Daniels' (Anne Haddy) physiotherapist. She was a divorced single mother, who later established a relationship with Philip Martin (Ian Rawlings), which attracted some opposition from their children. The relationship was later tested by the introduction of Ruth's long lost son, Ben Atkins (Brett Cousins) and his father Geoff Burke (Andrew McKaige). Philip and Ruth marry in 1998, amid a breast cancer scare for Ruth. The Martin family were written out of Neighbours and they departed together on 20 October 1999. At the end of the episode, just as the Martins and Ruth leave, the Scully family arrive. Piper reprised her role for the show's 20th anniversary episode, which aired on 27 July 2005.